Garden

[Biftu]

i have many garden statues scattered throughout my yard in varying sizes.  Many have been purchased at Home Goods so I am not sure what material they are made of, I'm thinking maybe resin.  Every year I go through the tedious effort of lugging them to the basement.  Some of the larger ones are quite heavy.  I'm getting tired of this and wonder if I can put them in my shed for the winter where they would be protected from the winter elements but of course the shed would still be cold.  Also question if my Home Goods large pots can be put in the shed.  They too are heavy but not concrete or resin.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.  I don't want to go through this heavy lifting every winter.

[gardenman]

Temperature by itself isn't typically the problem. Water and temperature combined are the problem. When water freezes, it expands. If there's any moisture trapped in the structure of a pot, statue, whatever, it's that water expanding when subjected to freezing temps that causes the trouble. If your statues, pots, etc. are put into the shed and allowed to thoroughly dry out before the first freeze, they'll likely survive the winter just fine. 

[blueroses47]

I have a lot of this kind of thing too, also many purchased at HomeGoods.

I put them in an outdoor shed, and have had no problems whatsoever.

The only problem I had with one faux-concrete garden bench occurred when I left it out all winter long, so I lug that thing to the shed too, now.

[Biftu]

Thanks @gardenman @blueroses47  in the shed they will go saving me back breaking work.

[FancyPhillyshopper]

I have a lot of garden decorations, and I do not bring any inside my home during the Winter--they all stay in an outside closet. 

I have never had any of them fall apart due to cold.

I think the resin will be okay if it is not too big or too delicate in structure--my biggest issue is resin starts to fade, so I try to avoid it. 

I have had a few concrete statues collapse after a lot of exposure to water/rain outside.

I do have some metal items as well, but I remove everything for the Winter except my metal birdbaths. 

P.S. I want to add that I DO bring in to my house anything with glass in it!

[amyb]

@Biftu I guess you've already gotten your answer here...but you can add me to the list of those that puts my pots, clay, enameled pottery, glass, resin, all in my outdoor storage, which is subject to both extreme hot temps and cold...no problem.

I do have one very large enameled pot that stays outdoors with soil in it, too large/heavy for me to move anywhere. A friend gave me a lovely big floral arrangement in it, from a local garden center, in 2020 when my mom passed. BF and she both carried it up to my unit.. I'm on a 2nd floor condo, and this pot lives on my deck. I'm in CT so we get cold, snowy winters. I push this pot near the walls of the condo, and leave it out (I suppose I could empty the soil and bring it inside)...luckily nothing has happened to it in five years. (Hope I didn't just jinx it! Lol)

I didn't empty the soil the first few yrs because it came with bulb plants, that actually returned for the first few years. (I did manage to bring it right inside my sliders and left it there all winter, the first year.) Not easy to do, but doable...I just haven't bothered lately. It is kind of big and not in a great spot when I do that.

Bulbs don't come back anymore, so I could maybe empty the soil. In summer I have been growing an annual Mandavilla in it.

Long story long...you should be fine with those pots in your shed~Good luck!

[Biftu]

Thanks for your input @amyb.  In the shed they will go with fingers crossed.

[shoekitty]

I have one garden statue, A big gong!  I call the birds to prayer! lol lol

[Another new name Sue]

I always use a dolly.  When possible, slide the item, don't lift.  Save your back!

[hkrgrl]

i have a side shed and put all pots in there. 

the only ones that stay out are ones that are ones that are frost tolerence.

worse comes to worse, turn upside down so u don't get the frost-thaw effect from rain/snow. 

i have a big plastic frost-free pot that's been out for years and is fine. 

all yard ornaments go in shed for winter. 

i don't think its the cold inasmuch as its the water/freeze/thaw that ruins the pots. 

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