The Best Way to Store Yard Tools Without a Shed

Not having a shed doesn’t mean your yard tools have to live in a messy pile. You can still keep shovels, rakes, and all the small stuff organized using spots you already have—garages, carports, porch corners, or even the side of the house. The goal is to get things off the ground, easy to grab, and somewhere they won’t rust.

Here’s how to set up a simple storage system that actually works day to day.

1. Use a wall-mounted tool rack on any open bit of wall

If you’ve got even one bare wall in the garage, carport, or utility room, a wall-mounted tool rack is your best friend. These come with slots or hooks shaped specifically for long-handled tools—rakes, shovels, brooms, and hoes.

Mount it at a height where the tool heads sit above the floor but don’t scrape the ceiling. Group similar tools together so you can see what you have at a glance. Getting them vertical keeps handles from warping, prevents accidental tripping, and stops everything from sliding into a tangled heap.

2. Turn a small corner into a “tool corral” with simple brackets

If wall space is limited, you can still corral long tools in a corner. Install two or three simple brackets or short boards with notches a couple of feet off the floor to catch the handles.

Stand shovels, rakes, and brooms in that corner with the handles tucked behind the brackets so they can’t slide out. This takes almost no materials and instantly cleans up the room.

3. Use a rolling garden cart or upright tool caddy

If you don’t have a permanent spot to hang tools, a rolling cart or upright tool caddy can act like a mobile mini-shed. Look for one with slots for long-handled tools and a tray or two for smaller items. You can park it in the garage, under a carport, or on a covered porch and just roll it out when it’s time to work.

The biggest win is that everything moves together—rake, shovel, hand tools, gloves, and pruning shears. You’re not making three trips back and forth. When you’re done, you roll it back to its spot and lock the wheels. It keeps tools off the ground, gives them some air, and makes it much easier to see what you actually own instead of buying duplicates because something’s buried.

4. Hang small tools on pegboard or a simple rail

Hand trowels, pruners, cultivators, gloves, and hose nozzles get lost fast if they’re tossed in a bin with everything else. Hanging them on a pegboard or a basic rail with hooks keeps them in sight and easy to grab.

Pegboard works well in a garage, utility room, or even an enclosed back porch. If you don’t want to mess with that, a simple strip of wood with screwed-in hooks does the job. Group items by type—pruning tools together, digging tools together, gloves and safety goggles in one spot. When everything has a hook, you’re more likely to put it back instead of dropping it on the nearest surface.

5. Use weatherproof deck boxes for hoses and small gear

If most of your yard storage has to live outside, weatherproof deck boxes are your friend. They’re great for hoses, sprinkler heads, kneeling pads, plant ties, gloves, and even outdoor cushions when they’re dry.

Choose one that’s big enough to actually hold what you need but not so huge it becomes a black hole. Tuck it against the house, on the patio, or near the spigot. You can drop in a few smaller bins or baskets inside to separate “watering stuff,” “planting stuff,” and “kids’ outdoor things” so it doesn’t turn into one big jumble. The box keeps everything out of the sun and rain, which helps tools last longer.

6. Add simple hooks or brackets to a fence

If you don’t have any wall space but you do have fence line, that can double as tool storage. Heavy-duty hooks or brackets mounted to a sturdy fence panel can hold rakes, shovels, loppers, and even a coiled hose.

Pick an area that’s easy to reach but not right on top of where kids play. Make sure the fence itself is solid enough to handle the weight—this works best on wood fencing or posts, not flimsy panels. Hanging tools here keeps them aired out and off the ground, and you’re not sacrificing indoor space if your garage is already tight.

7. Keep a “grab-and-go” bucket or tote for everyday tools

You don’t need every tool every time you step outside. A simple bucket or handled tote with your most-used items—hand trowel, pruners, gloves, plant ties, a small weeder—saves you from constant back-and-forth trips.

Store this tote on a shelf, in a deck box, or by the back door. When you want to pull a few weeds or quickly plant something, you grab one thing and go. The big tools can live on a rack or in a corner, but your daily basics move with you. It’s a small system that makes yard work feel lighter and keeps the “good” tools from scattering all over the place.

8. Protect metal tools with a simple cleaning and storage routine

No storage setup works if everything gets put away muddy and wet. A quick routine helps tools last longer, even when they’re hanging on an open wall or tucked in a corner instead of a shed.

Before you put tools away, knock off dirt, rinse if needed, and dry the metal parts. Once in a while, wipe blades with a light coat of oil (even cooking oil in a pinch) to keep rust at bay. Store them where they’re not sitting in water or touching bare soil. Long-handled tools should be upright, not leaning flat on damp concrete.

You don’t need a shed to be organized—you just need a few smart spots and a habit of putting things back the same way every time. That alone makes weekend projects feel less like a scavenger hunt.