No-mess potting

Photo/Illustration: Christine Erikson

Instead of investing in a special potting bench, I use a black polystyrene cargo tub as a tray when I fill pots with soil. It measures 36 by 23 by 8 inches, and I got it at my local building-supply center for about $18. It is lightweight and can be placed on a table or on the ground. I can easily pour a bag of potting soil into the pots that I have lined up in the tub and have virtually no cleanup, except for hosing out the tub when I’m finished. When the tub is not in use, I store it in the trunk of my car. It keeps the trunk clean when I transport nursery stock and bedding plants, and it prevents birdseed from leaky bags from scattering all over. It also keeps grocery bags upright.