One of my favorite greenhouse accessories and back saving additions to a greenhouse or garden is a decent potting bench. We’ll share with you what to look for in a potting bench and which designs are available on the market.
What is a potting bench?
A potting bench can also be called a gardening table or greenhouse table. It’s a workbench that can be used for small gardening tasks, such as planting or transplanting seedlings, repotting smaller plants and checking the soil of your pots. A potting bench is built at a comfortable height for a standing person, no more crouching down and crawling back up with a broken back. I realize this makes me sound like a seventy year old, but I’m actually only 34, I just spend a lot of time repotting plants. My potting bench has really made my life so much more comfortable! Another big advantage of this kind of greenhouse table is that it has storage underneath. You can keep pots, soils and tools nearby and store them away neatly.
What material is best for a potting bench?
Your potting bench will spend most of its time outside or in your greenhouse. This means it will be exposed to outside elements, such as snow, rain and sunlight and/or the inside humidity of a greenhouse. Therefore it needs to be made out of strong and durable materials. Most potting benches are made out of wood or metal. Cedar wood is a popular choice and if you have a bigger budget, teak or fir wood are great options for outdoor workbenches. Plastic potting benches are less suitable for outside usage, when you store your workbench in a garage or garden shed, plastic is an acceptable option. Metal potting benches also exist, but they are not ideal for outside usage and the design is often less attractive than wood. The benefit of metal is that it’s much lighter than wood which makes it easily movable.
Our favorites are the cedar wood potting benches, they are budget friendly, durable, easy to use and they just look cute.
Potting bench designs
Most potting benches consist of a table top and a small sink, ideally there’s also a water or drain hookup for easy water access. There’s usually a shelf or little cabinet at the bottom to store plant pots, soil or tools. Some potting benches are fixed into the side of your greenhouse, others are small and portable.
Are you a true DIY (wo)man? The possibilities are endless… Create a design you like or get inspired by the many existing plans you can use to get started yourself. Not really a crafts(wo)man? Not to worry, we aren’t so handy either. Luckily for us, you can find many potting bench kits online, they come with a clear plan and instructions to easily put everything together.
Price of a potting bench
The good news is that you totally decide for yourself how much you want to spend on a potting bench. If you can build it yourself and you only need to buy wood, you can get this done for under $75. When you’re looking for an easy to build kit, prices will usually vary between $100 for the simpler models up to $500 for the fir wood or teak models with a galvanized steel table top.
We’re happy to share the best potting benches with you and some of our favorite DIY plans!
Best potting benches under $150
This cute potting bench doesn’t have a built in sink, but the design and stability are really good in its price class. We would recommend for this to be stored dry and not subjected to weather elements as I’m not sure it will hold up. If you would like to store it outside or in your greenhouse, you can waterproof it with outdoor varnish!
- 【SELECTED MATERIAL】 - This potting bench is made of solid pine wood, durable for both indoor and outdoor use. Thickened wood structure has a longer service life. It is a good bench for daily use.
- 【SPACIOUS STORAGE】 - The whole work bench provides a large space for all your tools. Large bench top (39.5x17/100.5x43cm) for your small potting, 2 drawers for and 2 tiers shelves are there for your easy access.
- 【3 HANDY HOOKS】 - In addition to tabletop, drawers and shelves, 3 hooks in a row are hanging there to serve you with small tools or towels. They can be on the right side or left side, all depending on your needs.
This potting bench has a galvanized steel top, which offers a more convenient work surface than wood. Within its price category, it’s one of the only models with this metal finishing. There’s no sink but plenty of storage shelves and we love the little hooks on the side! Use outdoor varnish to protect it from humidity!
- GALVANIZATION TABLETOP- The galvanization tabletop provides you with a sufficient placing and working space.
- AMPLE STORAGE SPACE- With one drawer and 2-tier upper shelf, keep all your gardening items neatly organized. The spacious rack shelves can give you enough capacity to holds large supplies. The drawer is convenient for you put small tools inside.
- BUILT-IN HOOKS- The potting bench included 2 metal hooks on the right side for hanging gardening tools, gloves and more for your convenience.
Best potting benches over $150
One of our absolute favourites! This potting bench offers great quality for its price. Make sure you finish it with outdoor varnish and you can keep it anywhere you like. We love the little sink in the middle and the amount of workspace it offers.
- EXPANDABLE SLIDING TABLETOP: Extend your workspace when piecing together plants with a tabletop that splits apart for a lengthy surface to cut and pot vegetables, herbs, and more; it also comes in handy for hiding clutter when there's simply not enough time to clean up
- FOOD-GRADE DRY SINK: Includes a dry sink for convenient soil mixing and plant potting, made of quality material that helps ensure soil remains safe for planting after coming in contact with the sink
- AMPLE STORAGE SPACE: Keep all your gardening items neatly organized; a 2-tier upper shelf stores plants and more at arm's reach, while the bottom shelf holds large supplies such as soil bags
How pretty is this one? This heavy duty outdoor workbench is super convenient! The galvanized steel workspace, the closed cabinet at the bottom and the overall quality of the wood and construction,… This is a keeper. The wood has been treated for outside usage so it can be used outside or in your greenhouse without extra coating.
So… What are you waiting for? These potting benches offer so much extra comfort to your gardening time! Let us know what
