Step into the potting shed and the hum of the everyday world dwindles into silence. The air is warm and smells of earth. Wood flats checkerboard the potting bench, terra cotta pots tower in the corner like soup bowls on a kitchen shelf, and bins of soil beckon, their contents rich and deep. -The Potting Shed by Linda Joan Smith/Smith & Hawkins

Love my dirt drawer!

Twelve years ago my very handy husband built me a potting shed… hand-made desk, shelves, tool closet, cabinets and a potting bench, complete with a dirt drawer. If you are a gardener, I don’t have to tell you the magnitude this gift was to me. My potting shed is cute, it is functional, it is heaven on earth. Every moment I spend in my potting shed is pure pleasure– whether I am pruning, watering, reading or planning and designing the next big project. Spending time there keeps me sane during the long, dreary Indiana winters. I have simply never had an unhappy moment in my shed!

DON’T LEAVE US OUT IN THE COLD

When the temps dip below freezing , I bring the annuals and potted herbs into the potting shed where they will be safe from the cold. Some of the geraniums have spent 6+ winters in the Potting Shed… so they are right a home.

TODAY…

Today when I went into the potting shed I was greeted by a very fragrant bay tree, apple mint (given to me by my mother 22 years ago), blooming geraniums, various leggy plants that need more sun and a stack of books, catalogs, sketches and notes I’m working on to prepare for the BIG SPRING PROJECT! Ahhhhhh heaven.