Greener Gardening offers a well-designed potting shed from Halls, a specially built version of which is currently featuring on an Irish gardening programme. It is sturdily constructed with a tongue and groove floor and roof, the latter being neatly covered by green mineral felt.

Garden security is of paramount importance these days so a solid lock is essential to safeguard your gardening tools and equipment. Toughened glass is an essential prerequisite for both the glass-sided front and side window. This window is a good way of ensuring ventilation for both you and your seedlings. During the winter, or unseasonably cold spells, invest in a paraffin heater which will provide constant heat at a low running cost.

A pitched glazed frontage not only allows you a bright, spacious area in which to work, it also serves to capture every possible ray of sunshine so that your seed trays and young plants are bathed in warmth and sunlight to give you the best results. The solid timber walls are ideal for shelving to store terracotta pots, seeds and tools and there is ample storage space under the potting bench for larger items. Hook it up to an electricity supply and you can even find a home for the kettle!

The image of the traditional potting shed has radically changed with the recent emphasis on healthy eating and media-driven interest in growing your own produce. It's now a must-have garden accessory, no longer relegated to the bottom of the garden. With a wide choice of sizes and styles, it could be a focal point in your garden and the latest designs mean that you can even colour co-ordinate your potting shed to match the rest of your outdoor furniture.

Gone are the days when the potting shed was the sole domain of the mature gardener. Today more and more young families are discovering what an enjoyable and rewarding hobby gardening is. The potting shed has become so much more than a garden store or functional, but somewhat uninspiring, propagating area. Instead it's a place to potter in as much as pot up in.