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With just a few basic tools and an afternoon, you can create a bench for potting, transplanting and even displaying your flowers and spices. Your aching back will thank you!
Step 1: Cut Out the Sides
Step 2: Create the Decorative Cutouts
Step 3: Make the Shelf Cutouts
Step 4: Assemble the Bench
Finishing Touches
Transfer the measurements shown in the diagram onto your plywood or wide panels; then, using a circular saw to make the straight cuts and a jigsaw for the curves, cut the sides to shape.
We built our bench out of panels made of glued-up pine boards,but you can build the entire project from a single sheet of 3/4-in. exterior plywood.
Starting from the top, measure down 7-, 14- and 21-in. to establish the centers of the 3 1/2-in.-tall hearts. Drill a starter hole for your jigsaw blade, then cut the shapes.
Draw one heart on cardboard, cut it out, then trace it onto the sides to make six identical hearts.
Be creative! You can make flower-shaped, sun-shaped or even ladybug-shaped cutouts on the sides.
Draw pot-sized circles on each shelf, then cut them out with your jigsaw. Each shelf can accommodate five small or three large pots. Use sandpaper to smooth all the edges.
Draw the layout lines on the two sides indicating the shelf positions (see diagram). Use white glue and 2-in. galvanized drywall screws to secure the shelves in place.
For stability, secure the bench to a wall, deck, tree or even a pair of posts sunk into the ground. Prime and paint your potting bench with a good exterior paint to protect it from the elements. Add an extra coat of paint to the bottoms of the legs to protect them from moisture and rot.