20 Clever Ways to Organize Your Shed, According to Experts
House Beautiful June 7, 2025
Lifestyle
House Beautiful June 7, 2025
Lifestyle
As much as you likely try, keeping your backyard shed clean and organized is not an easy thing to do. You’re typically in there doing messy chores like repotting your plants, rolling out the mower, or hauling out your bags of mulch. While it makes sense that your shed is currently a chaotic place, it doesn’t have to be this way—we promise. There are plenty of shed organization ideas you can follow to ensure that your outdoor junk drawer is actually nice to look at and your tools are easy to find.
Organizing your shed is a similar process to organizing your closet. You should take out everything stored inside and sort through each one to determine if you actually need it or not. Yes, it makes sense to keep that old trowel, but that dried-up can of paint? You should probably dispose of it (responsibly!). Not only will this make your things easier to access in the future, but it’s an opportunity to lighten your mental load as you get rid of old projects that you know you’re never going to finish.
Gardening season is officially here, so keep reading to find 20 shed organization ideas to set you up for success.
If you tend to remember items only when they’re right in front of you, consider arranging your pots side by side on open shelves. Not only does this create a decorative display, but it also makes it easy to grab the one you need without any hassle.
Just because you're organizing your garden shed doesn't mean you have to choose ugly shelves. Opt for stylish, adjustable open shelving that offers a polished look and can easily be customized in height to accommodate whatever you need to store.
It’s easy to mount screw hooks directly into a wood wall or install a strip of wood for mounting the screws. They allow lightweight gardening tools such as hand trowels to hang neat and tidy, ready for your next gardening session.
If you have a prized seed collection, chances are you’re in the market for a way to protect your packets during the off-season. Investing in an organized seed holder will do wonders in keeping you organized, sure—but it’ll also ensure your collection doesn’t get wiped out by unexpected moisture or an uninvited critter.
Buy a wall rack to hang all the things you’re tired of tripping over, from the broom to the edger to the loppers. Not only will it keep your tools (and shins) safe, but it’ll free up valuable floor space.
In a spot as function focused as a garden shed, a permanent storage solution isn’t always the right choice—especially if you find yourself constantly switching up how you utilize the space. Instead, opt for something portable, like this hanging canvas organizer from Niwaki, which has various pockets to house all your tools and can easily be hung on (and removed from) the wall via grommets.
Just like in your bedroom or bathroom, the back of the door in your shed can provide additional storage space. Here, lightweight tools hang from large decorative hooks on the inside of the shed door.
Messes—even necessary ones—can severely impact the functionality of your space, which is why it’s so important to keep your garden shed as clean as possible. One common culprit? Dirt, of course! The next time you plan a planting session, whip out a potting station to cover the countertop and make cleanup a cinch. Instead of brushing the dirt onto the floor (only to sweep it up later), carry the canvas outside for a shake and you’re done.
A hose rack works just as well mounted inside your shed as it does mounted on the exterior. Instead of tossing an unused hose onto the floor of the shed, hang a sturdy hose hanger to corral it until the next time you need it.
During high season (aka spring and summer), your garden shed—and your tools—probably see a lot of action, and your storage solutions will need to be more mobile than they are in the off-season. For your most-used tools and supplies, consider investing in a roomy garden tote you can take to your beds or stash on the shelf with equal ease. This handsome version has pockets for all your gear and is made of near-indestructible canvas.
Awkward-to-store items—think kayak paddles, bicycle wheels, or even camping gear—can be tough to find space for inside your shed, so why not hang them on the outside? Pick up a few inexpensive brackets, then measure to make sure they’re deep enough and spaced properly to accommodate whatever you’re trying to hang.
No room for a shed? No problem! You can still keep your garden gear organized (and stop it from overflowing into your garage) with help from a comprehensive workstation. This unit from Terrain is built of durable, all-weather teak and features a drawer, a roomy bottom shelf, sturdy peg hooks, and more.
Chances are you probably already have a handful of buckets taking up real estate in your shed, so why not put them to use? Small items like garden stakes, plant supports, and flower hoops can stand upright in a five-gallon bucket for a cheap and easy way to maximize your shed storage.
Sometimes organizing a highly trafficked area is more about cutting down on visual clutter rather than actual clutter. If a hefty garden hose snaking its way around your shed is ruining your vibe, snag a hose pot, which will disguise a coiled hose while keeping it accessible for the next time your plants need a drink.
If you’re not into the idea of mounting shelves to the walls of your shed, opt for a small shelving unit instead. Slim and portable, it’s a great place to store anything you need quick access to, from extra pots to watering cans.
When it comes to chaos-causing items, bitsy metal tools are high on the list. Instead of stashing them in a bin where they can scratch each other (and you), attach things like snips, utility knives, and screwdrivers to a magnetic strip. It will keep them organized and make it easy to identify the tool you need at a glance.
Pegboards are an organizational MVP, but they’re not only for office spaces. In a garden shed, a pegboard can go on a wall and be dotted with hooks as a means of storing tools, spools of twine, and more. The best part? You can rearrange pegboard hooks to fit new tools as you acquire them, so you're never stuck with one setup.
Organize pots, soil, and fertilizer by adding a potting bench inside or outside your shed. A new elevated workstation will be more convenient and easier on your knees and back. Translation: No more having to kneel on the ground to repot plants!
Just like creative storage solutions indoors, making the most of a shed means maximizing every square inch, no matter how tiny. Here, a wall-mounted shelf acts as a ledge above a window, offering the perfect spot for lesser-used tools. Pro tip: When in doubt, select a metal ledge to ensure it won’t be disturbed by critters.
If you’re the type to switch up your shoes for a gardening session, you’ll want to make sure your shed is outfitted with a logical spot to store muddy shoes or boots (that doesn’t involve bringing them back into your house!). Try an old-school wellie rack, affectionately named for its prominence in nearly every British home (and those Brits know their muddy, rainy conditions!).
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