How to Make a Vertical Herb Garden

Don’t let lack of a yard get in the way of your gardening pursuits. Vertical herb gardens are a perfect way to get your green thumb on — no yard required!

The basic idea of a small space vertical herb garden is hanging small pots or containers from a trellis of some kind – the details are up to you and all the botanical creativity you can muster, but we get you started with an easy solution. Vertical herb gardens are perfect for small spaces like apartment patios or balconies. Sure, they are beautiful to look at but the bounty – fresh herbs you grew yourself – is the real reward.

Watch our how-to video for step-by-step instructions and inspiration. You’ll be small space vertical gardening before you know it!

Materials List

1. Wooden or metal trellis
2. Small posts that can withstand being drilled
3. S-hooks for hanging the pots
4. Potting soil
5. Trowel
6. Gloves
7. A variety of herb plants. 10+ would be good for this project.
8. Containers (6-8″ plastic pots-one for each herb)

Steps

1. Time to Trellis: Purchase or plan to repurpose a sturdy garden trellis. Both wooden and metal options will work fine as long as you can secure it so it won’t tip over.
2. Go Plant Shopping: Considering what you want to grow, and what you want it to look like, select the plants you’ll be using. You will also need to buy as many small pots as plants/herbs you plan to grow. Some good choices for the herbs are Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Mint, Thyme, Oregano, Dill, Chives, Sage, and Chervil.
3. Craft Your Strategy: Determine how you’d like to hang the pots on the trellis. You can use pot hangers or s-hooks from a hardware store. If you use s-hooks, make sure they are large enough to fit over a bar of the trellis.
4. Drill Interrupted: Drill a hole slightly larger than the diameter of the s-hook just below the lip of the pot.
5. Roll Up Your Sleeves: After prepping the pots — but before you hang them up — fill each pot about 2/3 with soil. Place an herb in each pot and fill in with potting soil, making sure to keep the crown of the plant above the soil.
6. Water the plants well.
7. Hang Ten: Hang the pots on the trellis and enjoy the view!
8. Watch the Water: Small pots can dry out quickly, so give them the finger test to determine when they need to be watered. Stick your finger into the soil. If the soil near the roots is moist, fine—check again in a couple days. If it’s dry, it’s time to water.