How To Make A Potting Bench More Efficient

An Outdoor Potting Bench makes transplanting flowers and plants so much easier, less back breaking and efficient. However, I’m sharing how we made one adjustment to our potting bench to make it even more efficient.

Do you have a potting bench? If not, I recommend that you get one.

My original potting table has plenty of room for working with plants and a sink which makes watering convenient.

But the clean up was always an issue.

All the potting soil and fertilizer that spilled onto the work surface had to be swept off and it was a mess.

Here’s what we did to make our outdoor potting bench even more efficient.

How To Make A Potting Bench More Efficient?

I love my potting bench, however the clean up was the problem.

Wet potting soil and plant fertilizer was hard to remove from the wooden top so we decided to open the top by cutting some drainage slots.

These slots will allow the debris to fall through into a tub underneath.

This is a fairly easy and inexpensive solution.

Tools and Supplies

• Cordless Drill with Large Drill Bit
• Jig Saw
• Grill Grate
• Rectangle Tub – Size will depend on your space.

How Add Drainage Slots To The Potting Bench?

First, determine the location and size that you want your drainage slots .

The area should be approx. the size of your tub so that debris will fall into the tub.

Make sure the tub will sit properly on the lower shelf or under your cut out area.

Next, mark the area to be cut on the bench top.

Using a large drill bit and a cordless drill, drill a hole through the top at two opposite corners of the area to be cut.

In addition, we decided to cut two slots to keep the bench top stable and to avoid having to reinforce the pieces of wood.

Once you have your holes drilled, use a jig saw to cut out the two slots in the wooden top.

Each slot is cut from the center of an individual board, therefore leaving the top secure.

How Do You Cover Over the New Drainage Slots?

There are several options for covering over the new drainage slots however an old grill grate fits perfectly over the area.

I thought about attaching it to the potting bench top but I’m so glad that I didn’t.

With the grate loose, I can remove it to brush any dirt into the drainage slots.

With the tub underneath the area, I can easily transplant my flowers and the dropped dirt is easily removed afterwards.

You can also add the excess potting soil back to your potting supply which is more cost effective as well.

If you were building a bench from scratch, you could add narrow drainage slots and not need the addition of the grate on top.

You can see How to Make a Potting Table with Old Windows and How to Age New Clay Pots also.

Now clean up is a breeze and I don’t waste as much soil.

I hope this gives you some ideas to help make your gardening and outdoor potting bench more efficient.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

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