Several years ago, when DH bought me my chop saw (best Christmas ever!) I built a workbench/potting bench for the back porch. I always see potting benches in magazines or stores that look like real furniture, and I wonder why- I would feel so hesitant using one of those. I would worry I was going to mess it up, damage the top, get it dirty… mine is perfectly ready to trash.
I built it out of 4x4s for the legs, with braces, so it doesn’t wobble. And I used planks for the top, with a bit of space between each one, so potting soil and sawdust just fall through. When I built the trellis for my vanilla plant, I just stapled the mesh to it so it would stay flat. When we have parties, I put a tablecloth on it, and make it into a drink station, but the rest of the year it lives to work.
Strawberry Fields for Breakfast 