Maybe it would ease tensions if you let your sister move into the house? ;>)

Seriously, though, storage of gardening stuff in general is a problem here, too. I have bags of potting mix, and potting mix ingredients stacked in the boathouse. I string my WS jugs up in 25 count 'ropes' and hanging on the boathouse walls. I have gardening tools and hundreds of nursery pots stacked in the carport and on the patio. I have a variety of containers of dug-up rubble lined up on the boardwalk, until I can figure out what to do with it all.

This will all be solved when the second phase of my remodel is finished (at least 2 years from now), and I'll have a dedicated storage area/potting shed built. In the meantime, I just make sure there's a way for SWMBO to get through the collection to where she needs to go.

My gardening tools are here and there in the garage. Some hang on the walls, some on shelves, some wherever it lands.

My wintersowing junk is in the basement. Since my dog is no longer here, our huge dog cage (big enough for a cow) is stuffed with milk jugs. A bale of ProMix is leaning against it. I have a small 3 shelf bookcase with seeds, catalogues, cups, tools for cutting, seedling tools, pens, vermiculite, etc, which is overflowing. Sterilite containers are stacked near a wall. Flower pots along another wall.

Seeds are drying in the dining room. I started with a smaller tabletop in the corner, the overflow is now on the dining room table. No dinner parties anytime soon.

In short, my "stuff" pretty much occupies the whole place. I have my priorities.

Karen

After everything was planted out, I just threw all of the containers back into the recycle bin where they would have gone if I hadn't rescued them. My DH drinks enough soda that I don't have to "stock up" ahead of time. There is a set of cabinets with a laminate counter top next to a utility sink in the garage. It is supposed to be my dedicated potting area/tool storage, but the kids are always dumping their toys, and muddy clothes there, so it is usually a cluttered, filthy mess. I did wash out all of the nursery pots last week and stack them neatly on the shelf above the sink. The bags of potting soil, mulch etc. all over the garage floor DO seem to annoy DH, but eventually he stacks them neatly off to the side, so I just buy more, LOL.

Bonnie

Oh dear! I have to admit you guys are no help at all! *giggle* In fact, you're so much like me, I feel like I've come home.

I suppose my sister will have to read this and thank her lucky stars.

I got rid of spouse years ago, so my place is my own. That being said, I hate clutter and do not store any containers. I buy one bag of MG at a time (we have no shortage here) and gather containers from recycling bins from neighbors as needed. This is my streamlined method.

I keep my MG bag in the kitchen where it belongs. Works beautifully for me.

No shed or basement? Is there a hide-away place outside that you could at least store your mulch bags?

I hate the mess, too! I use an area of my basement for my ws and supplies. I have a big rubbermaid garbage can that I put my potting soil in. It doesn't freeze so I empty it into the can and scoop right out of it so I don't spill so much filling my pots. It looks neater than having an assortment of bags laying around.

I use like-sized pots now so they are easy to stack and store. I have a bunch of those plastic shelves to put them on and the overflow goes into boxes under my work tables. I got rid of the milk jugs and soda bottles for the reason you are running into. Right about now they are selling those plastic leaf bags that look like pumpkins. Maybe you could put all your containers in a couple of those and make the garage look cute :)!

Getting containers on an as needed basis makes sense, bakemom, I think I'll try that. The Just-In-Time way would keep the clutter out. After all, I do have plenty of containers to probably last me for January/February. (I hope. You guys have given me so many seeds!) and I can always get more.

Danke!

Seeds are in plastic boxes under the bed, containers are in the shed & 2 small outdoor storage cupboards, potting mix is still by the gate, I haven't dragged it over yet.

"...I keep my MG bag in the kitchen where it belongs...."

LOL, bakemom, so do I! Well, I keep my active bag there. The rest now get stored in the basement. I say "now" because one year I left them outside and had one big, seven-bag lump of frozen potting mix!

I've got to say that I guess I'm lucky, because I pretty much keep what I want where I want. My DH occasionally mumbles something about "collecting garbage", but that is more in regard to the piles of paper waiting to be shredded and bags of boxes waiting to be ripped for the compost pile. But he just gets ignored so who cares?

I did keep my containers (mostly milk jugs) hanging from the basement ceiling. Now that we are in the process of renovating the basement, I may have to find another spot. The renovation is moving so slowly though that I may get another year out of the basement rafters!

IMO, clumsygrdner, your system sounds perfectly neat and organized. Any way you can just ignore your sister? Or better yet, get her involved in WSing? If she shares your vice she won't complain about it, lol!

:)
Dee

My sister? Garden? Oh no, that's out of the question

My sister has the Victory Garden idea. She won't be happy unless, by some miracle, my yard looks like the gardens at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, she'll never be the one to help with the work or cost of such a project.

Her fear of anything legless, multi-legged or otherwise not human, precludes her venturing outdoors beyond the scary interlude between the driveway and the Cavalier.

At one point, there was a brief glimmer of interest when I planted the rose of sharon hedge. While I was digging she asked how she could help. Before I could say anything though, a carpenter bee decided to fly up and say "Hi!". She ran back into the house describing the yard as "too dangerous". That was the end of that.

As hilarious as that is and even though she does speak her mind quite often, I really don't mind my sister's aversion to anything brown and crumbly. We're just two different people. After all, she decorates like Martha Stewart. (Which explains her intense interest in keeping everything neat.) Before her, I didn't know what Roman Shades were.
Now I love them in my room.

I on the other hand, hate being cooped up in the house. 90% of my time is spent outdoors when I'm not sleeping eating or crashing on the couch for prime-time TV. So... what do I really care what the garage looks like? Buuuut.... The Golden Rule dictates that I be nice to her. After all, I wouldn't want her messing up my garden.

LOL, clumsygrdner! It's so funny the way you describe the situation.

But you never know, there might be hope for Sis. As a kid, I used to detest going outside, and now like you, love to spend my time outdoors, as much as possible. And my mom tells me that when I was very little, I used to hate having dirty hands. To this day I don't like bugs - either flying or crawling, although I'm okay around bumblebees now.

Perhaps you should find some of Martha's publications and videos that deal specifically with gardening and flower arranging, etc. Maybe if your sister sees that, she will become intrigued and little by little get outside into the garden. After all, I've seen some drop-dead gorgeous garden photos in Martha's magazines. Or start small with getting her to sit on the deck or patio, and have some potted plants there - you could even try to copy one of Martha's containers and tell your sister that that is where you got the idea.

Then again, there is something to the idea of having your garden to yourself. As much as I wish my DH would help me out with some of the big projects, I'm glad my garden is my own and I am the Queen.

Oh, here you go - tell her you found a nest of baby spiders in the garage, or you think there are bats in there, or mice, or a bee's nest. She won't step foot in there and then you can store your containers to your heart's content!

:)
Dee

i have an old kids play house that is 6x6 that hubby put cabinets in for storage. they are full. i have an 8x8 greenhouse which is...full. i have a 20z36 greenhouse which is also full...well one side and the front and most of the back. i've been collecting containers (posted on craigs list) so i've got a lot plus the almost thousand i already had.soooo....i buy my soil by the yard or 2 so it's outside the big greenhouse covered up. i take it in as i need it in 5 gallon buckets. I plan on doing most of my sowing out there this yr instead of in the house, i am putting in a small sheep herders stove in for warmth. i am already itching for the sowing season!!
Tanya

Clumsy, you and your sis actually sound like a well-matched pair. She works on beautifying the inside of your place, and you work on beautifying the outside! You complement each other.

I used to be paranoid about running into stinging bugs outside too. Wasps still give me the willies. But when I was little, my parents gardened, and they tell stories about me walking around with a huge chubby fistful of wriggly worms. I loved worms, I still do. And snakes. Like Dee, I can now tolerate bumblebees.

Dee has some good advice about the flower arranging/container plantings, etc., from Martha's magazine or from other decorating mags. They almost always have something in them about that kind of stuff. Maybe you could plant a cutting garden for her.

I actually think your arrangement in the garage sounds like it should be tolerable to a neatnik. I mean, come one, it's not like you entertain in your garage.

This is your first year, right? Once she sees the results, she might be more willing to let you have your space without complaining.

Sorry I don't have any better advice.

Alison

Man, you guys have got it good!!!

Try having to store most of your gardening stuff in a corner of your living room - well, a couple of corners - and live with a cat who views it all as mountains for her to climb!

PV

At least the cat enjoys your living room decor. lol I'll trade you. ;)

You guys have been helpful actually. Protests have waned slightly. Maybe she was just complaining so that I would remember that she lives here. lol

I'm sure to hear more of it especially once the slightly messy activity of sowing actually begins. I'll keep you posted!

If she has a real fear of Bugs! you might try gathering some pictures and info about some of the more interesting and prettier bugs and butterflies. Damselfies, dragonflies, butterflies and ladybugs for instance. And of course an emphasis on their benefits in the garden. If she begins to take an interest, learns to identify she may lose some of her fear.(You could make that your winter project and just leave the info laying around for her to see)

I'm going out on a limb here. (*They usually break on me).

Let you sister 'reign' inside. Let her be an occassional visitor to your 'realm'. Maybe you both need your space.

As for the garage, try looking for some easy to assemble plastic shelving. They are quite sturdy, have wide shelves and won't cost a bundle. Get a sturdy stepladder and start storing loose items in boxes and plastic crates that are well marked and neat. I can envision the bottom shelf with a half dozen bags of various soils stacked like in a garden center. You can even drape a very nice and rather expensive cloth covering the front so no one knows what is behind the curtain!

The step ladder allows you to stack high on the top shelf and she probably won't bother to investigate up there. Hang a halloween spider web and spider across the box fronts up there.

As these shelves are about 40" wide, you can maybe use 2 or 3?

My two cents and btw I am constructing some steps. I'm using 3 step risers with 12' boards. I'm going to mount this to a fence or the house on an unused side with no sun. On each of the three steps will be all the winter sowing containers waiting for the magic day in the spring.