Even though winter is a jolly season, many gardeners dread it, as snow, frost, and limited sunlight do not encourage plants to grow and thrive. Therefore, unless you live where the weather is always around the “perfect” seventy-five degrees, you must prepare for the cold and wet months.
Luckily, your garden storage shed can come in handy. Besides being the ideal place to keep your tools and gardening equipment, it can also provide shelter for all the plants that won’t survive low temperatures.
If you’ve never used it as a plant sanctuary, it may need some work, but with enough effort, it should be ready in no time.
Continue reading the article below to learn more about the steps that will help you store your plants properly and ensure they make it to the following spring.
Clean Your Shed
One of the first things you should do when getting your shed ready to store the plants from the garden is clean it thoroughly. Start by taking everything out of the shed and putting it outside.
Go through your tools and gardening supplies, and don’t hesitate to throw out broken things or those you have no actual use for, like the half-empty bag of soil you bought three years ago and used only once.
Next, take a sturdy broom and sweep the floor. Get a bucket of water or a hose and clean your wheelbarrow, pots, shovels, and gardening tools. Cleaning the shed is also an excellent time to inspect the windows.
Once everything is clean and dry, please put it back in the shed. At this point, it may be a good idea to use a rust-prevention spray on your tools. This way, they will stay in good shape for longer and serve you well when spring comes.
Add Smart Storage
Your plants will likely appreciate it if you refrain from storing them on the shed’s floor for the entire winter. That’s why you should invest in some hooks and shelves. For instance, you can free up a lot of space by hanging smaller tools on the walls.
This will allow you to build a shelving system consisting of two or three-tiered shelves that you can hang or arrange against the shed’s walls.
Clean pots, ready for another season of gardening, can be stacked upside down into “towers” and arranged neatly on a shelf. If you have a lot of plant-growing trays or small plastic pots that can be reused in spring, folding storage crates are the perfect way to store them.
When it comes to heavy terra cotta pots, it’s best to stack them upside down and elevate them off the ground. If you’re worried that a hanging shelf won’t hold its weight, try putting the pots on a sturdy wooden crate. Cover them with a tarp and keep them in a safe corner where no one will accidentally bump them.
Waterproof the Wooden Walls
Ensuring that your shed is waterproof is an excellent way to boost the chances for your plants to survive the winter. Any cracks or openings that the harsh winds and rain can penetrate could kill the most fragile plants and leave you with pots full of dead vegetation. That’s why keeping the damp and cold away should be on the list of your priorities.
If your shed has a roof window, you can open it on sunny days to air it out. Opening the doors for a few minutes during the day also helps with ventilation. Airing your shed will help you eliminate the dampness before it has a chance to build up.
When waterproofing your shed, you should inspect the walls and fill any cracks or gaps with expanding foam or the builder’s caulking. Cut off the excess foam with a sharp blade or smooth the caulking with your finger for a neat look. To seal the doors, use excluder tape to prevent wind, dust, sound, cold, and insects from getting inside the shed.
Insulate
Proper insulation is yet another factor to help your plants survive the winter in a garden shed. Some of the modern sheds come with all the necessary insulation already installed. However, if your shed has been sitting in the garden for years and lacks this kind of protection, it may be time to do something about it.
The choice of insulation depends on your budget. If your shed is made of wood and you want to save money, consider bubble-wrapping the walls from the inside. You’ll need to cut the material to fit the frame of the walls and attach it using a staple gun. Remember to make sure that the staples are in the frame.
Foam boards are another budget-friendly option. They’re also straightforward to install. You need to cut them to size and secure them to the walls with heavy-duty tape. In a wooden shed, you can make the walls insulated with foam board look neater by covering them with plywood.
Fiberglass insulation may not be the cheapest option on this list, but it can be incredibly effective. Just make sure to get a roll of this material that comes with a vapor barrier. This way, it will be much easier to control moisture and keep the shed dry through the winter.
To install the fiberglass insulation, you need to cut it to size, press it into place between the frames, and finish it off with plywood. Thanks to the insulation, your plants will be better protected from the elements and survive until spring.
Get Rid of Pests
When saving your precious plants from the cold, you certainly wouldn’t want to bring inside any nasty pests that could sabotage your efforts. That’s why before you start moving the plants inside your shed, you should rinse all the leaves with water. Don’t be shy — pour the water vigorously, but be careful not to damage the plants.
Aside from the leaves, it’s also a good practice to rinse the pots. Make sure to wet the whole pot, especially under the rim, because bugs and slugs like to hide, make cocoons, or lay egg masses.
Treat the infested spots with insecticide for the particular pests you find. You can also prepare a mixture of non-detergent soap and water for a more natural solution. Use one teaspoon of soap, dilute it with water, and put it in a clean spray bottle.
You can spray the leaves before putting the plants in the shed and come back once a week to repeat the process as a preventive measure.
In Conclusion
Garden storage sheds can be a great way to store equipment, tools, and other items during the winter. Building your garden storage shed will give you more space for gardening activities year-round.
Here are some tips on how to build a Garden Storage Shed over Winter:
1) Choose the right location for your shed. Pick an area sheltered from wind and rain but has enough sunlight to function as a workspace. It’s essential to choose a spot that is easy to access so you can get inside when it’s cold.
2) Begin construction by erecting scaffolding or wooden frames around the site’s perimeter. This will help you keep things organized while working on the shed project; everything will be at eye level!
3) Once the framework is in place, start installing roof panels and walls made from lumber or metal sheets (depending on your climate). Ensure all joints are caulked and weatherproofed before adding any trim or finish details.
Don’t forget about doors and windows – install them according to the specific needs of each Shed type below!
4) If you’d like extra storage inside your garden storage shed, consider installing shelving units or built-in cabinets. Add soft lighting and calming plants to create an inviting environment perfect for storing seasonal gear!
As you can see, a simple garden shed can be the perfect place for your precious plants to survive
