Build a table for potting and planting in a weekend

Sunset, April, 1995 by Peter O. Whiteley

Your plants and back will thank you

Plants grown from seeds and cuttings get a pampered start at this garden work center. It combines the best attributes of the potting tables and seedbeds used in commercial greenhouses, scaled back for home gardens.

Half of the tabletop is a bed for seedlings; an optional tent-shaped greenhouse top will protect plants during cold-weather months. The other half is a plywood surface with an inset bowl for holding a supply of potting soil. The simple but sturdy base is open in the front so you can sit on a stool while working and store pots, boxes, and bins underneath.

You can make the table base inexpensively from pressure-treated wood or Douglas fir. Use redwood or cedar for the trim and the seedbed frame. Materials for the table cost us about $140. Once you gather the tools and materials, it should take a weekend to build the table.

BUILDING THE TABLE BASE

1. Cut all the lumber for the base to the lengths shown in the cutting guide on page 138 (parts A through F).

2. Screw the tops of all legs (D) to the ends and near the middle of both the front and back pieces (A). (Center the middle legs on a point 31 1/4 inches from what will be the potting table end of each of the 2-by-4s.)

3. Connect the front and back leg assemblies by screwing the end pieces (B) to the end legs.

Part     Dimension              Cut length            Quantity