Gardening – Where to potter with pots

As the days get cooler, wetter and shorter, the motivation to garden outside tends to drop off. For me ,one solution is working on my pot plants, of which I have a huge number – from little pots of plants I’ve recently propagated, through to a range of orchids, various types of flowering bulbs, tropical fruits, bromeliads and even a set of citrus trees in large pots.

Most homes have an area that lends itself to working on pot plants, no matter the weather – perhaps a garden shed, maybe a space in the garage, a conservatory or greenhouse or even a bench under the eaves. I am fortunate enough to have all of these areas available to make a mess in. Hopefully, some of these areas will give you inspiration to set up your own all-weather workspaces.

An east-facing eave is a lovely area in the morning to warm up, or a shady place to work away from the midday sun. I have my waist-height potting bench set up here with cupboards and shelves holding a multitude of different sized pots, trays, fertiliser and potting mix, plus an upcycled stainless sink bench plumbed in for watering plants or washing soil off roots and bulbs. Another upcycled double sink bench alongside serves as a potting area, with one sink for old soil discarded from the pot and another for fresh mix.

It’s a short walk from this area to the garage, where I can work in even the worst weather, with a large table set up to carry out tasks like getting summer flowering bulbs cleaned up and packed away for winter storage. It’s also where I pack plants for sending out to other plant enthusiasts.

At the other end of the property, the garden shed is not so much for working in as for storage. Pest and disease control products, bulk fertilisers, tools and all the odds and sods of gardening are kept in here, as well as seed heads that are drying off and pumpkins being stored on shelves.

My insect-proof tomato greenhouse sits next to the garden shed, with the tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini and cucumber all growing in 10-litre pots of good quality garden soil. These are fed and watered via drippers on an automatic system.

At the rear of the property is the tropical house, where I keep the pawpaw, mango, dwarf bananas and other tropical plants in big planter bags. The floor is insulated, and the vents are set to only start opening at above 20C, so it feels like a tropical paradise inside.

So, what would be my favourite spot in winter, then? That would be our conservatory – a gorgeous, covered area attached to the back of the house, with a very handy outdoor dining table that is in heavy demand from both Angela and me. For me, it is the ideal place to sit in the warmth and sow seeds, or crush sugar cane for my rum, or run my still, or even all three jobs at once. Angela likes to use it as a painting table for her large canvases. This means I must first clear off whatever project I am working on, then skulk off to one of my other workspaces.

Andrew Steens