Collection: Potting table

What a Potting Table Is For

A greenhouse potting table gives a dedicated surface for filling pots, pricking out and mixing compost. The defining feature is a raised back and sides that keep material on the surface rather than on the floor, which is what separates it from an ordinary bench.

Without one, potting happens on the floor, on a bench that was meant for plants, or outdoors on the ground. All three waste compost, take longer, and mean bending over something at the wrong height.

Height Matters Most

Working at standing height is the main ergonomic benefit, and a table at the wrong height removes it entirely. Around ninety centimetres suits most adults working standing up, though it is worth measuring against your own comfortable working height rather than assuming.

If you work seated or need wheelchair access, a lower surface with clear space beneath is the requirement, and that is worth checking against a specification rather than adapting afterwards.

Surface and Storage

• A solid top holds compost, water and small parts where you put them.
• A raised back stops material being pushed off the far edge as you work.
• A shelf or slatted tray underneath keeps pots and bags off the floor.
• Hooks or a rail at the back keep hand tools within reach.

Some models include a removable tray or a sieve section, which is useful if you mix your own compost rather than using it straight from the bag.

Materials

Aluminium and powder coated steel cope most reliably with greenhouse humidity and need nothing doing to them. Treated timber looks warmer and is easier to modify, though it needs periodic attention and untreated softwood will not last a season of wet compost.

Whatever the material, raise it off a wet floor on feet or pads. A table standing in standing water deteriorates from the bottom regardless of how good the surface is.

Where It Goes

A potting table takes floor space that could hold plants, which is the argument against one in a small house. In a frame under five square metres, a bench that does both jobs is usually the better compromise.

Above ten square metres there is room for a dedicated corner, which keeps compost and tools away from the growing area. The wider greenhouse furniture range covers benches and tables, and staging handles the plants themselves.