Tips for storing gardening equipment effectively

It can be very easy for garden sheds to become disorganised, especially as there is usually such a wide selection of equipment that is stored in them. There are handy storage devices that can make all the difference to how you use the space, though.

If your shed is in disarray and you want advice about how to improve the situation, read on for some tips to arranging your gardening equipment and making the most of the available room.

Make use of racks

One of the most useful shed storage solutions has to be a rack designed to hold larger tools that can take up a lot of room. Brooms, rakes, spades, forks and other equipment with a long handle can be awkward to store in a small space.

There are two main options for keeping these items tidy – purchasing a freestanding rack that is large enough to safely hold all these gardening essentials – it won’t need to be wide, but it will need high supports to prevent the tools from falling over.

The other is a wall-mounted rack, which will usually consist of a wire mesh or slatwall backing on which you can position hooks that can support the handles of your tools, thereby storing them out of the way.

If you opt for the latter, you can use it to store much more than just bulky gardening equipment, as you can attach shelves and baskets to the mesh panel, as well as hooks, providing you with a much more versatile storage system.

Invest in a tool chest

Tools can easily get scattered all over the place, especially if you frequently use them and forget to put them away when you’re finished. They can clutter up any sideboard space you may have in your shed, which can be a nuisance, but worse than that, if they are left out for prolonged periods of time they can get damaged by damp.

A multi-level tool chest is the ideal solution, as it gives you plenty of room for all your gadgets and will mean you can organise them effectively, by storing different tools in separate drawers.

They’ll also be protected from dust and damp when they’re kept in the toolbox, so you won’t need to be concerned that their condition will deteriorate if you store them in your shed.

Look at your shelving

Shelves are one of the most common methods of creating storage space in a garden shed, but you may discover you could increase the available space by using your shelves in a more effective way.

If you have a workbench, for instance, do you have storage underneath it? If not, consider buying a low-level storage box that can be used to keep odds and ends in, or select a small set of shelves that will fit comfortably under your existing bench. This will simply mean you’re making the best use of the space, rather than cluttering up other areas of your shed with items that could be stored elsewhere.

You may also find that having one taller and longer set of shelves is more efficient than fitting separate shelves around the walls of your shed. Not only will it be quicker to install a single unit, rather than having to fix supports to the walls for multiple shelves, but it will also be easier for you to move your shelving to another shed, should you decide to upgrade in the future.