Shed Storage Ideas and Potting Shed Ideas

A shed that's well organised feels twice the size. Whether it's a storage shed, a workshop or a potting shed, these practical ideas will help you fit more in and find things quickly, using fittings made for the buildings we sell.

Start with a plan: three zones

• Door zone: the things you use every week, such as the mower, the wheelbarrow and the bike you ride most. Keep the space inside the door clear so you can wheel things straight in.
• Wall zone: shelves and hooks for tools, pots, paint, cables and anything small. This is where most of your storage should be.
• Back zone: seasonal items such as garden furniture cushions, Christmas decorations or the paddling pool.

Measure the big items before you plan. Shelving takes around 30–45cm of depth along a wall, and a workbench needs standing room in front of it. If you're still choosing a building, our shed sizes guide shows what fits in each size.

Shed storage ideas that work

1. Shelving along at least one wall

Shelves turn wall space into storage and keep the floor clear. Fix them to the timber frame, not just the thin cladding, so they can take the weight of paint tins and tools.

• Power Sheds Shed Shelving comes in 2ft to 6ft lengths.
• Power Sheds Premium Shed Shelving uses pressure-treated timber and suits a shed or log cabin.
• Lifelong Steel Shelving is galvanised steel shelving fixed to a Lifelong building's steel frame by Lifelong's installers.

2. Hooks for long-handled tools

Spades, rakes, hoses and extension leads are the things that end up in a heap. Hang them on hooks along one wall, with the heaviest lowest. In a timber shed, screw hooks into the frame. In a Lifelong steel building, Lifelong Steel Storage Hooks are fitted when the building is installed.

3. A workbench with storage underneath

A bench gives you somewhere to pot up, repair or sort, and the space underneath is ideal for boxes and bags of compost.

• The Sovereign Groundsman Storage Bench is freestanding, with a work surface on top and enclosed storage below.
• The Lifelong Steel Workbench is fitted along the wall of a Lifelong shed or garage.

4. Clear boxes and labels

Stackable clear boxes on shelves let you see what's inside. Label the fronts, and keep one box for each job: planting, painting, bike repairs and so on.

5. Bikes on the wall or in their own shed

Bikes take up a lot of floor. Wall hooks or a floor stand help, but if there are several bikes, a dedicated bike shed is often easier. The Power Pent Bike Shed has extra-wide double doors and a low pent roof that fits along a fence or side passage.

6. Small gardens: go narrow and tall

If floor space is tight, a slim store for tools can free up the main shed.

• The Shedlands Tool Tidy is a narrow store with double doors that fits at the edge of a house or garden.
• The Power Pent Storage Shed comes in sizes from a compact 6×2 up to 10×8.
• Logs have their own home in the Power Log Store, so they don't take up shed space.

Potting shed ideas and designs

A potting shed is a workroom as much as a store. The best potting shed designs have plenty of light, a bench at the right height and everything within reach.

• Put the bench under the window. Natural light makes sowing and pricking out much easier. The Shedlands Potting Shed comes with full-length slatted staging under the main window.
• Shelves above, storage below. Keep seed trays and small pots on shelves above the bench, and compost and bigger pots underneath. The Power Apex Potting Shed includes two-tier internal shelving.
• Split the potting from the storage. A combi design keeps muddy work separate from the mower. The Power Apex Potting Shed Combi has a glazed potting end with two-tier staging and a lockable 4ft or 6ft side store.
• Add staging as you need it. Sovereign Single Staging and Double Staging are sold by the foot and are best ordered with a Sovereign building.
• Think about where the sun falls. On the Power Apex Potting Shed Combi, door and window positions are chosen at assembly, so you can set it up to suit your plot.

Browse all our garden sheds, including potting sheds, or see how to choose the right shed.

Keep it dry, or none of it works

Damp spoils stored cushions, rusts tools and rots cardboard. A few simple things help:

• Ventilate. Open the door or a window on dry days, and don't store wet items inside. Our timber care guide covers ventilation and condensation.
• Lift the floor off the ground. A good base and bearers keep the floor dry. See choosing a base.
• Keep things off the floor on shelves or pallets, so air can move around them.

Keep it secure

A tidy shed full of good tools is worth protecting. Fit a good lock, keep valuables out of sight of the window, and consider a security shed with stronger doors and extra locking points, such as the Power Apex Security Shed.

Common questions

How can I get more storage in a small shed?

Use the walls. Fit shelving along at least one wall, hang long-handled tools on hooks, and keep the floor clear for the mower or bikes. Put the things you use most by the door and seasonal items at the back.

How should I organise a potting shed?

Put the potting bench under the window for the best light, with shelves above for seed trays and small pots and storage underneath for compost and larger pots. If you also store a mower, a combi design keeps the potting area separate.

What should a potting shed have?

Good natural light, a sturdy bench or staging at a comfortable working height, shelving, somewhere to hang tools and enough ventilation to keep it dry.

How do I stop things in my shed getting damp?

Ventilate the shed on dry days, don't store wet items inside, keep things off the floor, and make sure the building sits on a proper base with the floor lifted clear of the ground.