Still too cold to plant? Build that shed you’ve always wanted.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
With a new spring so tantalizingly near, the desire to do something—anything—wells up inside of gardeners. This yearning sometimes manifests into a full-blown project, such as building a garden shed, which gets most backyard growers all giddy just thinking about it.
Such a shed, whether pre-fabricated or built from scratch, can certainly be a useful addition to the garden. But before you reach for the hammer and nails, here are a few sensible notions to stick into your head to help make it a pleasant, practical reality:
Legalities. Do you need a building permit to construct a garden shed in South Carolina? My best response is, “It depends.” That weak answer simply means there are different building codes for different cities and counties in our state, so check with your local building permit office first.
Location … If it is truly going to be a garden shed and not a backyard catchall for crusty tools and abandoned Big Wheels, site it as close as you can to the garden—heck, maybe even in it! You will appreciate its immediate proximity whenever large flats of plants, buckets of dirt or heavy pots are involved.
…Location, location. Will your garden shed also be a personal destination for some “me” time? If possible, locate this hideaway so that, in the summer, it basks in morning light but is sheltered by shade the rest of the day to keep it from turning into an afternoon oven. Also, with a strong southern exposure during the colder days of the year, it will receive comforting warmth from the rays of the low winter sun.
Longevity … Don’t buy lumber on the cheap. Use a resilient exterior-grade such as cypress or pressure-treated wood, so your neat new garden shed will remain pretty—and stable—for years to come with minimum maintenance.
…Longevity, longevity. Small garden sheds can blow away in strong winds. Building anchors are definitely worth the extra expense.
Natural light. A garden shed shouldn’t have the ambiance of a dungeon—let there be light! Windows and even skylights will bathe your happy place in an embracing, natural glow.
Utilities. Electricity and water can certainly be useful, but if you opt for these conveniences and have never tinkered with installing either, consult a professional electrician or plumber, not a five-minute YouTube video.
February in the garden
• For Valentine’s Day, give the gardener who is the love of your life sticks. Well, bare-root roses, which, at this time of year, do look like bundles of sticks. Ideally planted in late winter, bare-root roses should be easy finds at local garden shops now.
• While many houseplants rest during the winter, they still need to be watered occasionally. But to prevent a chilly shock, if you use tap water, first fill a container and let it sit overnight to warm to room temperature before giving your pretties a drink.
• Plant-bothering bugs might seem like a summertime problem, but the warm, dry air inside houses in the winter can encourage insect varmints such as mealy bugs, mites and aphids to come out and play on houseplants, so be on guard.
Tip of the month
Pansies are visual workhorses in winter flower beds, but with proper care, they can keep popping out cheerful blooms into the spring. First, make it a regular chore to pick off spent blossoms to encourage the formation of future flowers. Also, apply a diluted solution of liquid fertilizer (preferably high in phosphorus) about every three weeks to promote continued colorful bloom production. Finally, check with your local, friendly garden centers for heat-tolerant cultivars that have the durability to extend their flower shows for months into the warming spring.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.