An All-Purpose Potting Shed

An All-Purpose Potting Shed

A gardener finds many uses for a former chicken coop

by Bonnie Blanchette



	Blessed with large windows and straw insulation, this old chicken coop is a great place for early spring gardening and storing tools.

Like my faded jeans with baggy legs and brown knees, my potting shed suits me just fine. Comfortable, functional, and unpretentious, it has the relaxed, lived-in feeling old buildings have. Its worn benches and imperfections put me at ease. I don't worry about spills, dents, or scratches, and I never feel everything has to be in its place. At the end of a long day of gardening, I toss tools and empty pots inside; cleaning can wait till a rainy day. There are no rules here. The many nails pounded randomly into the wall to hang tools and supplies reflect the potting shed's carefree nature and adaptability.

From hatching chickens to hatching plants
I was unaware of just how adaptable this 100-year-old building was until two elderly ladies shared its history. Related to a previous owner, they had spent many days visiting when my property was a farm. As we walked toward the garden, they pointed out that where our pump stood there was once a windmill. When they peeked inside the potting shed, they recalled pleasant memories, not of gardens rich with produce or flowers, but of chickens. The potting shed used to be a chicken coop.

I should have guessed. It's the right size and shape -- a squat building 12 feet wide by 20 feet long with the roof sloping low in the back. There are large windows occupying almost the entire east and south sides, so the building warms up fast and is bright and cheery. Built before the era of storm doors, the entryway has an inner and outer door made of thick wood. Twenty years ago, when we replaced the roof shingles, we were surprised to find straw had been packed in the roof to insulate it. On sunny days when the outside air is chilly and there's a brisk wind, it's toasty warm inside.

Shed's insulation gives gardening season
a head start
Having a potting shed that traps and holds heat makes it easier for me to garden in a cold climate. The shed acts as a transitional space for me as well as for my plants. By the end of a long Minnesota winter, I'm feeling closed in and anxious to garden, but it can be many weeks before the garden is ready for me. So instead of working outside, I start stocking and organizing the potting shed. The aura of gardening is so strong inside this building; just being in it renews my spirit.



	A long potting bench with storage underneath is convenient for transplanting seedlings.

Greenhouse function provides room to grow
Since it doubles as a greenhouse, the potting shed also provides much-needed space. In early April, the flowers and vegetables I started under fluorescent lights in the house need to be "bumped up" to larger cell packs. Potting is easier here than in the house because the waist-high workbench allows me to stand comfortably, and everything I need is within reach. I put the shade-loving plants on the east-facing bench and the sun lovers on the sand-covered bench that faces south. With light from the windows and cool evening temperatures, the plants grow stocky and strong. Night temperatures usually stay above freezing, but I keep a milk-house heater handy in case extremely low temperatures are predicted.



	Sun-loving plants can bask in early spring light, safe from late frosts.

I also use the potting shed to jump-start perennials for my spring plant sale. As soon as the ground thaws, I dig perennials I planted around the edges of the vegetable garden the year before. Most of these are divisions from plants in my border. I bring them into the potting shed, pot them, and line them up closely on the floor. Even slow growers like ferns and grasses pop up after a few weeks in the warm potting shed. After they begin to grow, I move the potted plants out into the yard, where they'll get more light.

If it's for gardening, it's welcome here
When the frenzied days of spring planting are over, the potting shed serves mainly as a storage space. I keep everything I need to garden here including tools, soil, fertilizer, and plant labels. It's also home to my collection of antique tools. Their faded paint and handles worn smooth from days and days of gardening create the illusion that this building has always been a potting shed.

Bonnie Blanchette gardens in a northern suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Photos: Jennifer Brown

Fine Gardening magazine
Purchase back issues