10 Cheap and Easy DIY Projects to Upgrade Your Garden Storage

It’s one of those universal rules that however much garden storage you’ve got, it won’t be enough. But no matter the size of your shed, a little organisation seriously helps to make the most of whatever you’ve got, and store gardening tools efficiently. So if you don’t want to splash the cash on a new garden storage solution, get clever. All these upcycling projects make use of items you probably already have or are super-cheap to pick up from the hardware store or find on a local online marketplace.

A rack to hold forks and rakes and stop that awful tangling of tines and spokes. A trough that keeps trowels handy and removes any rusting at the same time. Wall-hung string dispensers so it’s always easy to snip a length of twine to tie an errant clematis stem in place. A seed trug that shows you exactly what needs to be sown each month. It all sounds like the stuff of dreams, yet you could make it all this weekend!

Now the outdoor sofa cushions aren’t filling your shed to the roof, it’s time to turn your shed into a haven of happy tools and zero clutter. Which of these DIY garden storage ideas will you try first?

Latest Videos From

1. Tall Tool Rack

This DIY rack is so simple yet creates very efficient storage for long-handled garden tools such as forks, spades, rakes and hoes. A wooden frame strengthened with angled braces at the base has open slats running along the top so tools can quickly be slotted in. None of the struts are very long, and I’m guessing you have a few wood offcuts stashed away ‘just in case’ that would be perfect for this job!

Position the rack just inside your shed door and all your tools will be within easy reach. For extra strength, you could fix it to the shed wall with a couple of metal brackets.

2. Under-Shelf Jars

Wide-mouthed jars are so useful for keeping garden bits and bobs in, and if you have a shelf in your shed, it’s an easy job to screw the lids to the underneath. That way you can see exactly what’s in each jar at a glance, and unscrew the one you need to remove it and access the contents.

3. Hand-Tool Trough

A container of dry sand isn’t simply a useful way to store hand tools, but the abrasive sand will help to remove any rust each time you plunge a trusty trowel in. Clever, huh? Stir in a dollop of mineral oil such as this from Amazon into the sand and it will lightly coat the metal to prevent further rust – even better!

4. Seed Organiser

Yes, we all have great intentions of succession sowing for a long season of flowers or veggies. And yes, we do all instantly forget about the half-empty packet of seeds after the first sowing, as soon as it’s tucked into a shed drawer. But this handy organiser will take care of all that. It’s made from a cutlery trug, but any box or tin would do the job too.

Simply cut dividers from cardboard – personally, I’d prefer to separate my seeds by month rather than seasons – and slot inside. You can organise all your seeds in spring then, when you’ve finished your first sowing, pop the packet into the next section.

5. Seed Ribbons

If you like your shed to be pretty as well as practical, you might prefer this way to organise your seed packets. Nail up a ribbon for every month you’ll be sowing and label them. Then all that’s left to do is peg the seed packets to the right ribbon. You get to enjoy the seed-packet artwork and be excited about all the plants you’re growing, as well as having a handy reminder of what to sow, when.

6. Fence-Panel Hanging Rack

This slatted fence panel has been painted and screwed to the outside of a shed to create storage and a spot to hang plants, but you can see how you could use the idea to make the most of wall space inside. Just add some rafter hooks such as these from Amazon and it'll be so useful for hanging hand tools and watering cans. You could also use wire to attach shallow jars to hold bits and bobs such as plant ties.

7. Twine Dispensers

I seem to buy a ball of twine every time I go to the garden center, yet still I’m forever hunting around the shed to find some string when I need to do a quick repair. These clever twine dispensers made from funnels would save me so much time and money!

If you’ve already got a funnel, great. If not, you don’t need a fancy food-grade one – a cheap plastic funnel from a hardware store such as this from Ace Hardware would do the job fine, and is easy to nail to your shed wall. Or why not cut a half-gallon milk jug in half and thread the twine through its mouth?

8. Rake-Head Hooks

Does anyone’s shed not have the head of an old rake whose handle snapped at least a decade ago? Fix it to your shed wall and hey presto, you have a handy row of hooks to hang hand tools from. And if you need to, it’s a simple task to drill holes through their wooden handles to thread a cord loop.

9. Pallet Shelving

An old pallet can quickly be turned into an outdoors storage rack with shelves as well as hooks. You can see how short horizontal sections have been removed from this pallet, then re-attached beneath the struts below to create shelves. The great thing about this idea is that you can tailor the number and height of the shelves and hook placement to suit whatever you need to store.

Look for ceiling screw hooks such as these from Amazon, which have a vinyl coating for a smart, durable finish.

10. Trellis Hanging Space

If you’ve got a section of trellis that’s seen better days, put it to good use with some S-shaped hooks to create some hanging space. Wooden trellis is usually thin enough to be easily cut to size, so you could attach a panel to the back of your shed door.

Look for S-shaped hooks that are a snug fit on the trellis, such as these from Amazon, and everything will stay put when you open and shut the door.

More Quick & Easy Storage Solutions