Repurpose An Old Shoe Caddy Into The Perfect Garden Tool Organizer

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The nice thing about a shoe caddy is that its uses extend way beyond the time it spends snuggling shoes. An over-the-door fabric shoe caddy has pockets galore, which are handy for holding all sorts of smaller gardening tools and supplies. Even if it's damaged, stained, or otherwise destined for the trash, don't throw it away. Repurposing it into a simple garden tool organizer gives it new life and makes it extra easy to find and store your supplies. You'll no longer be rummaging through the shed wondering where you put the pruning shears after using them last fall.

This project is customizable in that you can hang it just about anywhere to hold tools in any arrangement you like. You can even add iron-on vinyl labels to make it easy to organize further. Extra pockets come in handy for storing seed packets, garden gloves, and even plant markers. Your shed's shelves might never be messy again. And since you're in DIY mode, you can also transform a shovel handle into a portable garden tool organizer.

Before modifying a shoe organizer or adding garden tools to it, it's a good idea to figure out where you'll hang it. That way, you'll know if you need to remove any of the bottom sleeves in order to fit the space. Options for organizers vary greatly. For instance, this Regelogo model has 28 pockets and is 65 inches long, while a heavy-duty version from RVZone features 10 pockets in a single row, and the entire thing is only 11 ½ inches high. Whatever organizer you choose, test hanging it in a spot in the shed or garage before filling it with gardening gear. 

Skip the metal hangers that came with the caddy and consider a pegboard and its hooks instead. Push the pegboard hooks through grommets on the caddy to hang the organizer. If you don't have a pegboard, use strong, long nails or screws instead, inserting them into studs or using drywall anchors. 

If the shoe caddy is too long to fit where you'd like to hang it, cut off the bottom rows of pockets to fit. You may be able repurpose these trimmed-off pouches in another area of the garden shed. Set up your tool organizer by placing one tool in each pouch. Trowels, pruning shears, spades, and similar tools can each have a dedicated space. Place heavier tools towards the bottom of the organizer to weigh it down and keep it taut. Feel free to staple the edges of the organizer or any individual pockets to the pegboard or wall if needed for extra support. 

Once you're happy with the layout, you may want to mark the pockets so you know where to return tools after using them. Using a vinyl-cutting tool with iron-on vinyl images or lettering is one way to label each pocket; this works best with canvas shoe pouches rather than mesh ones. Drawing a design or lettering on with acrylic paint pens is another fun and creative way to label each pouch. 

If you have a cubby-style sturdy shoe organizer collecting dust, don't throw that away, either. These cube organizers also work well to sort and store garden tools, small seed packets, and even garden gloves. Set the organizer along the back of your garden work table or a tool bench in the garage, or mount the unit on a wall using sturdy L brackets, attaching them to studs for maximum safety.

Your options for storage aren't limited to shoe caddies, as you can repurpose old wood pallets to hold large garden tools. With these storage options, you'll have a home for all of must-have tools that every gardener should have.