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What height for potting bench?

geodougp01geodougp01 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
All,

I just finished 3 hours of potting up a few dozen seedlings and my back is not fairing well. I already know my "bench" is incorrect as it's actually and old military cast off work table intended for use with chairs. Its height is 30 inches, 76 cm off the floor. I've looked into several guides and opinions vary depending on the person and the type of work.  Generally, precision work should be higher and heavy work lower. For example, a woodworking shop recommends the bench be as high as the cuff of your shirt sleeve. Another source says as high as your elbow when standing up straight.  

I would like to know your experience after several hours of use and what height you prefer.

Thanks, Douglas
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Posts

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I spend more time bending over the kitchen work surface than the potting bench but both are 900mm/36” which suits me fine.
    Rutland, England
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    I had an old standard height table but I sat  using  a gas lift wooden office swivel chair which was ideal 

  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Are your kitchen counters comfortable to use? If so copy them, if like mine they are way to low, then put a thick block on the counter and work on that, continue adjusting until you get a height that suits you.
    I would say that elbow height is way to high, you would constantly have to hold your arms up just to work on anything.
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    I use an old kitchen table in the garden, but it's on top of a fairly thick pallet, which makes it a really good height to work at for me (I'm 5' 4").
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I don't have a potting bench but I do my potting up on the lid of the compost bin which is about wrist/hip height. For finer work like sowing seeds, pricking out seedlings or preparing cuttings, that's not really high enough and I find myself stooping a bit (maybe I should put my specs on!), so I work on the lid of the council green waste bin (about elbow/waist height) for those. I'm 5'3" and standard kitchen counters are fine for me for most things (they're higher than the compost bin lid by maybe 3 or 4").
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    1'm 169cms and have a dodgy arthritic knee and a trio of slipped lumbar discs.   I have an old table and an old chair and tend to sit to sow fine seeds and do a lot of pricking out.   Big seeds like courgette and squash can be done standing up and are sown in individual pot so often go straight out from those with no potting on.

    I have an aluminium potting bench with 3 high sides and a shelf below and I sometimes stand at that to batch fill trays and pots with compost but it doesn't take long enough to start back aches.  It's actually more useful as a storage shelf for cell trays and pots. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • geodougp01geodougp01 Posts: 4
    edited March 2021
    Thanks all for your comments, very helpful.  In retrospect I suppose I should have offered an explanation of my own height.  I am 6' 2" with a wingspan of 66".  

    I guess this makes my Ape Index -8"

    All the best.  
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I think the comparison with a kitchen worktop is a good one.  We are all very different,  my brother was 2 inches taller than me but he had a long back, so it's definitely worth experimenting.  At or just below navel height is a good guide 
    AB Still learning

  • pilsnermiteshpilsnermitesh Posts: 2
    The average common height for potting is 36 inches and it is as same as kitchen counters. It is very generally used to avoid strain on the back, As i'm  5'8" this is perfectly correct size i can prefer and its good
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Yes, it all depends on the individual. A gardener may be just over 5ft or well over 6ft so it stands to reason that we cannot be comfortable at the same bench. Try out different heights and when you find one that feels good, measure it and adjust your own.
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