What Makes Me "The Seated Gardener"

My gardening seat

So the whole reason I call myself The Seated Gardener is because, well, I sit down when I garden.  So let me introduce you to the key piece of equipment that allows me to sit and garden:

There are many other products out there that go by the name of a gardening seat that are much prettier and probably more expensive than mine (above.)  Truth is, I cobbled mine together with items I found at my local home and garden store, OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware).

The foundation is a 5 gallon plastic paint bucket.  It's the white part that you see towards the bottom.  It is surprisingly sturdy, but with one caveat: DO NOT leave it outside in the elements.  The plastic will degrade over time when exposed to UV radiation (a.k.a.sunlight) and it will literally crumble apart.  So for your own sake and safety, store it in the garage when not in use.

Next I found something called a contractor's seat in the gardening department.  It fits right on top of the paint bucket.  It's that red and clear plastic bit you see on top and towards the front.  The clear plastic part actually opens up and can hold nails, nuts, screws and other hardware.

Since the contractor's seat is not really that comfortable, I also purchase a gel kneeling pad to go on top of it.  It is that green U-shaped object you see in the photo.  It is AMAZINGLY comfortable.  Plus if I happen to get it dirty from my gardening gloves (you can see how dirty they get!), it cleans up nicely with a spray from the garden hose.

Finally, I found the khaki bucket organizer in the gardening department right next to the contractor's seat.  It can hold all sorts of tools, from clippers and garden scissors to twist ties and shovels.  Although I have to admit my favorite way to store my tools is right inside the bucket since they are more visible at a glance this way.

Now I have had my eye on an upgrade to this basic garden seat over at Gardener's Supply Company.  They carry a really nice black padded seat (without storage), a choice of colored buckets and a very pretty floral pattern bucket organizer.  But the truth is my original garden seat has lasted 6 seasons already with no signs of failure.  So while a prettier seat might be nice, my original seat is kind of nostalgic and sentimental to me now.  (Plus the pretty bucket organizer below is out of stock right now...)