Potting benches: the best for your garden

A potting bench should be a mainstay in any dedicated gardener's world. Used inside or out, within the house or in a greenhouse, they are where lots of the hard work takes place when caring for your potted plants.

A good potting bench should also be versatile and offer different levels and varying sizes and shapes of storage space for your potting needs. You'll need a variety of heights too, for watering cans, and those larger plants.

It's also worth thinking about whether you need to move your bench around - will it stay in one place, or do you need a potting bench or table with wheels? As with most things that revolve around gardening, there will be dirt involved. So a potting bench that's easy to clean and will avoid getting lots of soil on the surrounding ground is a bonus.

Make sure you have all the right tools to go with your potting bench too and explore our hand trowels and secateurs selections.

Here are a selection of the best potting benches we love.

The best potting benches and potting tables

Christow Garden Potting Table Wooden Work Bench

This compact wooden potting table is a perfect space saving option, coming in at 89 x 76.5 x 89 centimetres. It features two slatted shelves, plus five hooks for handy storage, so there's more than enough space to store your compost, excess pots, trowels, seeds and much more. The table has raised back and sides to help avoid spilling soil and a galvanised metal worktop which makes it really easy to clean.

The feet are galvanised metal, which will make them super hardwearing and will mean you can have your potting bench on your lawn, decking or patio. This potting bench is made from sustainably sourced wood.

Yaheetech Potting Bench Table

A feature in itself, this potting bench comes with an attractive wooden cupboard, and a handy top shelf. Made from fir wood, this is a strong option that can hold up to 100 kg on top and 80 kg on the bottom shelf and cabinet. This potting bench has tabletop guard rails that can be removed for ease and the tabletop itself measures at 112 x 46 cm. This one also has a galvanised zinc metal sheet to make it easy to clean and avoid staining.

There are three hooks for your snips, or secateurs plus a handy drawer for extra storage.

Steel Work Potting Bench

• Buy now from Wayfair

A robust and straight-down-the-line option for your potting bench, this one is adjustable and easy to move. If you're looking for a potting bench with not too many frills, that can withhold your compost and all your pots, then this will likely be the one for you. It can double as shelving, as well as a work bench and the top shelf can be positioned upside down so you can use it as a soil tray. This potting bench measures 80 cm H x 50cm W x 114 cm D.

Potting table/bench

• Buy now from Etsy (£175.00)

A made-to-order Etsy potting bench which we think is a charming addition to this list and can be made in your own image. Featured on this bench is a lined planter top with a drainage tap, a removable potting tray, three hooks, one large fitted bowl, a mini shelf and a full length lower shelf. Although you can ask for specific sizes, the general sizes are 105cm wide, 165cm high and a 48cm deep worktop space. We love the fact that it also has a planter in the top of the bench, so you can plant flowers and/or herbs within easy reach. Another place to grow!

• Buy now from Etsy (£175.00)

Potting bench with hooks, drawer and dry sink

• Buy now from Gardenesque

This potting bench comes with a dry sink, a top mini shelf, two small shelves and a larger shelf to boot. In an attractive green colour, there's plenty of storage for your tools on the hooks provided. It has also been weatherproofed against the elements, so can be used inside or outside. The specifications are 117cm wide, 45 cm deep, with a worktop height of 84 cm and this bench is made from sturdy fir wood.

Garden potting bench

• Buy now from Aosom

There's a nice unique addition of a sliding tabletop with a dry sink beneath it on this potting bench, which means your workspace can be increased when you have a big potting job to contend with. The handy hidden dry sink also means it doesn't take up space when you don't need it. Overall the table measures 81 H x 100 L and 38 W cm and the fir wood table has a maximum load of 40kg, the bottom shelf 20kg. This could be a good option if you are looking to get creative with the colour of your potting bench as it comes in natural wood.

Aldsworth Potting Table

• Buy now from Garden trading (£315.00)
• Buy now from Ebay (£409.00)

This untreated spruce potting table is as chic as they come. Finished with the classic potting bench galvanised steel metal worktop, it has three roomy drawers, and a slatted shelf which should provide you with lots of room for your pots, seeds, tools and more. This particular potting bench should only be used inside, so think of this one as perfect for your greenhouse, conservatory or potting shed. Its dimensions are 82cm H x 110 cm W x 40.5 cm D and it can take up to 27 kg in weight. Do expect to have to put it together, however.

Moreton Potting Bench

• Buy now from Garden Trading (£315.00)

A slightly smaller option with alternative storage, including hooks - some moveable - each side of the table for your tools and general garden accessories. Of the two drawers, one is designed to house loose soil and the top is covered in metal to make cleaning easy. This collection is in weatherproof black-stained spruced, so is a particularly striking potting bench that will be happy inside or outside, although the recommendation is to position it somewhere sheltered in order to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

Rowlinson Potting Station

This potting bench is a nice big work station for the dedicated gardener. There's an upper shelf area plus hooks for hanging tools, as well as a zinc coated steel work surface to make sure your dirty work doesn't degrade the top. It's one of the highest options around, measuring in at 162 cm including the top shelf, and the wood is FSC approved timber, although you should be careful about storing it outside because the wood isn't treated.