Gardening Table: 5 Criteria For Choosing The Right One.
The gardening table, also called preparation table or potting table, is an essential equipment for all those who love gardening. It is as useful to gardeners as a workbench is to DIY enthusiasts! If you do not yet own one, here are 5 criteria to choose the right gardening table.
Height and dimensions.
Furniture designed to facilitate small sowing and repotting tasks, the gardening table must above all be functional. Therefore, the first criterion to consider when choosing one is its height.
This raised table will greatly facilitate certain tasks such as cutting and repotting your plants, provided that its height is adapted to your size and allows you to work without bending over. Generally, its height is about 90 cm, which allows you to work standing up without hurting your back.
Note: there are also lower preparation tables for children, as well as models with adjustable leg heights specially designed for wheelchair users.
When buying a potting table, consider all the dimensions of this piece of furniture and choose it according to the space you have in your garden or on your terrace. The length of the top varies between 80 and 130 cm for a width generally between 40 and 45 cm.
2- Materials
Materials are the second criterion to consider when choosing a gardening table. Most garden preparation tables are made of pine wood. This affordable material is not durable outdoors and therefore needs to be treated.
You may prefer a model made of acacia (a type of wood that is naturally more durable). In any case, if you want the wood to come from sustainably managed forests and not contribute to deforestation, choose models with FSC or PEFC labels.
Some potting table models are equipped with a zinc or galvanized steel tray to make the furniture more resistant to aggression and facilitate cleaning. Choose this type of model if you plan to install the table outside and not in a garage or garden shed.
If you want furniture with a zinc, plastic, or galvanized steel tray, choose a model with a removable tray that is easier to clean.
Finally, if you plan to move your potting table from one corner of your garden to another or indoors on bad weather days, know that there are models equipped with wheels.
3- Storage solutions
Well-thought-out storage is another important criterion if you want to buy a functional and practical gardening table to use. Even the simplest models generally have a shelf under the work surface to store materials or place pots.
More elaborate models, with more storage, will allow you to store all of your seed kit (pots, trays, garden gloves, and labels to identify what you have sown).
If you want to use this furniture to store garden equipment and have everything at hand, choose a model with several shelves and/or drawers. Large cabinets in the lower part of the furniture can also be useful for storing bags of soil or large pots.
4- The aesthetic aspect
Although the practical side of a gardening table is essential to facilitate all your sowing and cutting work, the aesthetic aspect of this piece of furniture should not be neglected.
Wooden models easily blend in with a garden. Depending on your preferences, you can choose a model in raw wood or stained wood. You can even paint this table yourself in the color of your choice so that it matches your garden furniture, for example.
5- The value for money ratio.
The last of the 5 criteria for choosing a gardening table is, of course, the price. Prices range from €30 for the simplest models up to €300 for the most elaborate tables.
The cost of this garden furniture depends on its dimensions, the quality of the materials used, and the equipment and storage it is equipped with. It is up to you to evaluate the best value for money based on the criteria listed above and the options you want!
If you are handy and want to save money, know that it is possible to make a repotting table from recycled pallets.
