Okay, let’s talk about sorting out the garden tools situation. For the longest time, my shed was just a disaster zone. You know the drill, tripping over rakes, can’t find the good trowel, shovels leaning precariously against the wall, just waiting to fall on someone.
Getting Started: Facing the Mess
So, one Saturday, I just had enough. I pulled everything out onto the lawn. Seriously, everything. Long-handled tools, short ones, pots, bags of soil, the works. It looked like a garden center exploded out there. Seeing it all laid out really hit home how much stuff I had and how badly it needed a proper home.
My first thought was just leaning things against the wall again, maybe more neatly? Nah, that never works for long. Then I thought about those fancy pegboard systems, but my shed walls are kinda flimsy, and honestly, seemed like a lot of fiddling.
Figuring Out a Solution
I needed something sturdy and simple. I wandered around the hardware store for a bit, looked at some ready-made racks. Some looked okay, but kinda pricey for what they were, just plastic slots really. Others were too big for the space I had.
Then I remembered seeing some folks use old pallets. I didn’t have any pallets lying around, but the idea stuck – something vertical, using the wall space better. I decided I needed a combination: something for the long tools and maybe a shelf or bin for the smaller bits.
The Actual Work: Putting it Together
I ended up buying a simple wall-mounted rack for the long-handled stuff – rakes, shovels, the hoe. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a metal strip with some hooks and clamps. Installing it was easy enough, just needed to find the studs in the shed wall, drill some holes, and screw it in. Took maybe 30 minutes?
For the smaller things – trowels, cultivators, gloves, twine – I repurposed an old wooden crate I had. I cleaned it up, and just placed it on a low shelf I already had in the shed. Simple, but it keeps all those little bits contained.
Here’s roughly what I did:
- Pulled all tools out of the shed.
- Sorted them into long-handled and short-handled/small items.
- Decided against pegboard due to flimsy walls.
- Bought a basic metal wall rack for long tools.
- Found the wall studs in the shed. Super important step!
- Drilled pilot holes and mounted the rack securely.
- Hung up the shovels, rakes, etc. on the new rack.
- Cleaned out an old wooden crate.
- Put trowels, gloves, small forks, etc., into the crate.
- Placed the crate on an existing low shelf.
The Result: Ahh, Much Better
Now, walking into the shed is way less stressful. I can actually see the floor! Grabbing the rake doesn’t involve a potential avalanche. The long tools hang neatly on the wall, and the small stuff is all corralled in the crate. It’s not showroom perfect, but it’s functional, and everything has a place.
It’s made getting ready to garden much quicker and, honestly, just makes me feel a bit more organized in general. Took an afternoon, didn’t cost a fortune, and solved a major headache. Definitely worth doing. Now I just need to make sure I actually put things back where they belong… that’s the next challenge!
