How to Build Your Own Potting Bench

Most garden furniture is designed for leisure, but a potting bench is designed for the constant task of maintaining container gardens or houseplants. It's also not a bench. A potting bench organizes materials and raises the tasks of repotting and propagating existing plants, saving your back muscles for the larger tasks of the outdoor garden. Build your own potting bench with six two-by-fours, a dozen one-by-fours and an assortment of joinery hardware to provide a convenient outdoor work space.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6 8-foot 2-by-4-inch preserved boards 12 8-foot 1-by-4-inch boards 1 8-foot-by-4-foot sheet of 1/4-inch backing board Wood screws, dowels or nails Saw or circular saw Rotary or hand sander Drill Hammer Screwdriver Carpenter's square and level Measuring tape

1. Prepare your lumber. You'll need four 6-foot, two 34-inch, four 30-inch and two 14-inch lengths of 2-by-4-inch lumber and at least 12 48-inch lengths of 1-by-4-inch lumber. If you choose to add shelves, you can use 1-by-4-inch lumber for both bracing and shelving. Lightly sand edges and corners to avoid splintering, particularly on the 1-by-4-inch pieces.

2. Build the sides of your bench. Lay out two 6-foot and one 34-inch 2-by-4 inch stiles (verticals) parallel on the ground. Attach a 30-inch rail (horizontal) across the bottom of one of the 6-foot stiles and the 34-inch stile with wood screws, checking to be sure each corner is exactly square. Set the second 6-foot stile under the rail so that there is an 8-inch opening between them and attach the bottom of the third stile. Attach a second rail across the top of the shorter stile, to a spot the same distance up from the top of the bottom rail on the back stile. Attach the rail to each of the three stiles with two wood screws. Attach a 10-inch rail, about a foot below the top, between the two tallest stiles; check to be sure it's the same distance down from the top on both stiles. Build the second side with the short front stile on the opposite side.

3. Use "stagehand physics" if you don't have a helper. Lean one side up on its back stile against a wall and nail one 48-inch 1-by-4-inch shelf piece to the top, middle and bottom rails. Put your foot along the bottom rail and "walk" it up, hand-over-hand, until it sits on its bottom rail. Attach the top and bottom shelves to the rails temporarily with a couple of small nails on each end. Check for square and attach the middle shelf. Alternately, have helpers hold the sides up while you add the framework for the shelves.

4. Stand your potting bench framework up and attach a temporary "Z" brace of 1-by-2 or some scrap lumber across the back with small nails that can be pulled away easily. Check to make sure that the shelf is level and attach them to the bottom and middle rails with wood screws or dowels, then pull the temporary nails. Add 1-by-4s to make bottom and middle shelves, leaving about 1/4-inch space between them so water and dirt can drain. Finish by attaching the top shelf---it should take only two boards. Use a rotary sander to make all edges flush and smooth shelf surfaces.

5. Remove the temporary braces and put a sheet of 1/4-inch exterior-grade wood, peg board or bead board paneling as backer board for your bench. Attach the board with wood screws to the back stiles and rail-ends. If you don't want a backboard, use 1-by-4 diagonal "Z" braces with wood screws to the 2-by-4 framing to keep it standing up square. Use the backing, be it board or braces, for additional storage surface.

Tips & Warnings

• Seal edges of any wood used for exterior furniture to keep out dampness. If you choose preserved wood, let it sit outside for a few weeks before sealing or painting to "vent" the preservatives used in it. Seal and prime pieces before assembling to save time and effort. Pre-drill screw holes to avoid splintering and cracking. Attach four 1-by-2-inch braces in a square on the underside of a shelf and cut out the middle. Put a kitchen-sized garbage can on the bottom shelf to catch dirt or trash for easy disposal. Attach extra rails across the back stiles for dowel pegs to hang tools and equipment or to attach a strip of pegboard.
• Avoid wood containing arsenic as a preservative. There are environmentally better alternatives. A "2-by-4" is actually 1 7/8-by-3 7/8 and an 8-foot 2-by-4 is not always exactly 8 feet long. Always measure twice before cutting. Whatever your choice, wood or engineered wood, make sure it's exterior-grade material. Interior-grade pegboard and composites use water-based glues and will break down no matter how well sealed. Always use eye protection when sawing wood or using power tools.

Resources

• Lowes Potting Bench project
• Searchable Woodworking Project Site
• Greenhouse Plans