8 simple ways to organize your garden shed

Gardening tools keep going missing? Can't find the new secateurs you got last year? And where exactly is the tree saw? Clean, sharp tools are of no use if you can't find them. If you've been avoiding the chaotic mess in your garden shed, help has arrived: here are eight simple ways to keep it organized and tidy.

[Image Credit: iStock.com/natalie_board]

Clutter usually begins on the workbench, doesn't it? Small items like seed packets, plant ties and labels have a habit of finding their way there and spreading out across the surface. So how can you keep your workbench counter safe, dry and clutter-free without sacrificing any work space or using up your existing storage? Simple.

Hang on to screw-top jars
Don't throw away or toss in the recycling bin any screw-top jars you use in the kitchen.

• After you've collected a few jars, glue or screw their lids to the underside of an existing shelf in your shed using a strong adhesive. You can then fill them with your gardening essentials and screw them onto the lids.
• Plastic jars are ideal because they won't shatter if accidentally dropped.

Add storage with milk crates
Although they are becoming increasingly harder to find, you can make use of the dead space beneath your workbench using plastic milk crates.

• Plastic milk crates turned on their sides make for a stackable, modular and free storage system for larger items.

Your workbench is one thing, The garden shed is quite another. Most of us don't have the luxury of a large shed. That's why clever storage and organization is key to keeping your tools, accessories and garden chemicals dry and safe. What does that mean?

1. Be creative
To maximize space, you'll need to be creative.

• Walls, doors and roofs, as well as shelves and hooks can all be used to maximize useful storage space.

2. Repurpose old furniture
Old furniture and fittings from your house can often do a productive job in the shed.

• A retired kitchen cabinet can be screwed to the shed wall to provide a lockable cabinet for chemicals and fuel; cracked plastic gutters can be attached high on the walls to hold long or awkward items, like garden stakes.

3. Use the ceiling
Every shed has a ceiling. Why not use it?

• Hang an old basket from the roof or the back of the shed door and use it to store light objects, such as gardening gloves or plant ties.

4. Give old objects a new life
Use an old trash can to store compost or fertilizer.

• An old trash can is an excellent storage container because the bags in which compost, fertilizer or grass seeds are supplied tend to split in a damp environment, making a mess on the floor.
• A solid metal can helps to prevent mice from chewing through seed bags.

5. Hang small tools
Screw a pegboard to the shed wall and hang smaller tools, such as trowels, forks and scissors, from the pegs.

• Use a permanent marker to draw the outline of the tool on the board, so you'll always know where to replace it after use.

6. Keep your tools (dry) in a tool box
Tools scattered everywhere can be annoying.

• If you're constantly using your tools around the home and garden, buy a proper toolbox to carry them instead of grabbing them one at a time and then forgetting to return them.

To help keep tools dry:

• Put a couple of charcoal briquettes in your toolbox. It will draw away moisture from the tools.
• Wrap the tools in a cloth or paper bag to contain the dust.

Place the toolbox in the designated space where you plan to keep it.

• Choose (if possible) a brightly coloured toolbox. It will remind you to place tools in it when you're finished. Plus, it's easier to spot should you misplace it.

7.  Dispense sting through a funnel
An old kitchen funnel makes a perfect dispenser for garden string. And who doesn't love the idea of not having a tangled mess of twine in the shed?

• Simply screw the funnel to the wall, place the ball of string in the funnel opening, then draw the string through the narrow opening of the funnel.

8. Stash tools in an old shopping caddy
If you have an old shopping caddy on wheels or a shopping cart, use it as a tool caddy.

• They're perfect for transporting long-handled tools up and down the garden.
• An upright shopping caddy allows you to store long-handled tools upright.

Keeping your garden shed and workbench tidy is a challenge: it's easy to simply toss stuff in the shed or on the workbench and forget about it, until you need it. With a bit of creativity and effort, you can keep the chaos in your garden shed under control, so you'll have more time for gardening and spend less time looking for "lost" tools.