Potting benches are an amazing convenience for gardeners. No more squatting or kneeling on the ground while potting plants; benches provide a place to keep garden tools organized yet handy. You can, of course, go out and buy new lumber to build a potting bench. However, this is an excellent project if you have wood to upcycle. A funky, rambling, country look only adds to the charm of a potting bench.

A potting bench made of pallets

Pallets lend themselves well to rustic outdoor furniture like potting benches. So what if the finish is less than perfect? It's going to get covered in potting soil, anyway! Besides, the rough finish of a potting bench made of pallets just adds character to your outdoor living space.

You can paint a shipping pallet potting bench bright, fun colors, or go basic and leave it unfinished. The number of pallets you'll need to put together a potting bench depends on your design. One thing for sure: You'll need some power tools to do this project, especially a power saw and a power drill.

I got this idea from a DIY Jacksonville carpenter. Click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to learn more about how she made her lovely potting bench.

An old sink makes a dynamite tabletop for a potting bench

Have you picked up a vintage farmhouse sink at a salvage sale? Maybe you have an old metal two-basin sink that you removed in the course of a renovation. Any sink will do in this project, but bigger is better. You can build a platform to hold up the sink or drop it into a hole cut in a tabletop. If you're ambitious, you could have a plumber come and hook up the sink to your water supply so that you have water at the ready for easy watering and cleanup. Maybe that potting bench could double as a sink for an outdoor kitchen! Keep your barbecue grill nearby!

Upcycle an old door to build a potting bench very simply

You could certainly upcycle an old door into the tabletop of a potting bench. Old doors give you plenty of room to work. For a very rudimentary potting bench, balance a reclaimed door on two sawhorses. Or chain it to the side of a garden shed to build a potting bench that folds neatly away when not in use.

However you make your DIY potting bench, be sure to build plenty of storage space into your design. A long shelf underneath is an excellent place to store gardening tools, potting soil, and buckets. Imagine how handy it would be to have pegboard built in to your potting bench, or hooks to hang garden tools from.

Just envision your perfect garden hub, then go ahead and design it. Spring is coming, and it's a super time to start showing your garden and outdoor living space some love.

Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.

Updated November 26, 2018.