Many factors led to the creation of The Potting Shed.
I attempted starting seeds in our garage last year, but the temperature variation was too drastic, even with heat mats.
I came across a pin on pinterest of a greenhouse made of reclaimed windows.
Being the frugal scavengers that we are, we sourced vintage window sashes people left at the edge of their driveways as trash and kept an eye out for postings on Facebook Marketplace.
We tried moving our seed starting into the office, but it was too messy and wouldn’t be able to hold the volume we planned on starting from seed this year.
A neighbor was selling stacks of 2×4 ash wood that he harvested with his own mobile mill, so naturally I had to get some (with no real purpose in mind other than having some cool locally milled wood).
I removed about 20 4×4 cedar fence posts that separated our backyard from a small pasture (where the growing beds now lay) and, of course, kept them for “something.”
Instead of starting from scratch, I thought it would be cool too add on to the old pool pump house. We could take advantage of an existing solid structure with electricity, foundation, and plenty of bricks to retain heat mass heat in winter.
I drew up a few variations, but decided on a leanto roof so I wouldn’t have to mess with trusses and rafters of a gable roof. I started by trenching out space for cinderblocks to serve as the foundation for the expansion. Square and level are relative terms in my book. I’m working to improve this flaw, by the way.
I set some of the old 4×4’s in the corners and around the door frame in the cinder block with concrete and anchors. I experimented with different spacing for the studs but decided that I would simply use the spacing provided by the window frames. It was a bit of a brain teaser to get the windows to line up – and full disclosure, we did have to buy a few non-vintage windows from our nearby reuse shop Community Forklift, but still salvaged windows to fit certain gaps.
I used the ash timbers from my neighbor as the rafters.The biggest expense was the polycarbonate roofing, but thank goodness it went up relatively easily. The doors were the biggest challenge. Lets just say they may need to be replaced before winter comes. I’m sure I’ll do some more sealing before winter anyhow.
So, there it is. The Potting shed is open for business.
