semi-DIY potting bench

I have to tell you, Sunset has been seriously rocking recently. I can't decide if I've changed or if they've changed, but either way I'm quite pleased with our current relationship.

Aside from the magazine, they have a great blog, One Block Diet (which actually just won a James Beard Award), an amazing test garden, and they raise chickens and bees and grow ingredients for beer and all sorts of other good things.

And they have really good ideas in the magazine. Like good enough that I've actually dog-eared half of the pages in the April issue. I successfully completed one of those projects this weekend.

Potting Bench Euphoria, people. They made it so easy I couldn't resist:



So here's their idea: Buy an old table from a thrift store. Put the old table in your backyard. Voila! And here I've been waiting years for one because I couldn't be bothered to build one. Or have someone build one for me (more like it).

I successfully found and purchased a funky old pine desk at a thrift/antique-ish store up the street from my house. Instead of bricks for the "floor" I used a bunch of random old cement pavers that have been lurking around the side yard since we moved in. (So satisfying to find a use for them.) And I bought a few old crates at the flea market a few weeks ago to use for shelves.

I soooo wish I would have taken a "before" photo. It was hideous. Weeds and pots and neglected plants and bags of soil. Since you can't see the before, I know you won't be as ecstatic as I am with the results, but here goes:







I love that it has drawers for keeping pruners and plant tags and other essentials that have been cluttering up the laundry room forever. And I love that I now have a place for little horticultural experiments outside of the kitchen. Plus I can dry flowers on the lovely bars that decorate our windows. I'm so happy.