herb gardening~planter ideas!

I know we all wish we had unlimited space for herbs, at least
I do! I have a small 10x10 foot kitchen garden, plus I mix my
herbs into the flower beds and use many different containers.
Today I wanted to share ideas for using unique containers and
a few rules to follow.

First of all, herbs require a little different mix of soil for the
most part, and most of them don't like to be kept too moist.
You can use equal amounts of purchased topsoil, sand, peat
moss and a little bit perlite if you wish. DON'T use vermiculite,
which is a little like cork, and it retains too much moisture for
most herbs. If you are using these containers for flowers then
throw some in if you wish.

Terra Cotta Pots: My favorite still! They come in many sizes
and styles. I mainly use the standard inexpensive pots-I find
the 8-10 inch size are good for one herb and the 12-18 inch
can hold 3-4 herbs or 1-2 large herbs. I tend to plant annual
herbs in the containers and use perennials in the soil.

Porch and Windowboxes: I have porch boxes in the back and
the front. Build them with pine-we used 1x8 pieces. Use 1 1/2
to 2 inch wood screws to put them together-nails don't work as
well. Prime and paint before planting, unless you want plain wood
that will weather. I lined with plastic the first year, but later didn't
think it was worth the trouble. They should be at least 12 inches
high for most herbs. I grow my basil in a porch box each year.
Windowboxes can be done the same, but scaled down.

Strawberry pots: These work great for herbs! One trick to make
watering a little easier and more even is to place a paper towel
tube or even a straight piece of PVC in the center of pot before
filling. Once you've filled it with soil to the top of the pot, carefully
remove the tube and add small gravel, sand or perlite to the hole
all the way down. Water the pot using this rock center and it
will disperse evenly to the entire pot!

Wooden Chairs: Old kitchen chairs, high chairs or stools can all be
primed and painted with bright colors and designs. You can cut a
hole in the seat of the chair to fit a clay pot, or simple sit a pot on
the chair itself.  Shorter, heavier pots work better if you opt not to
cut a hole because they are more stable and less likely to tip over.

Old eaves/gutters: This is such a unique idea, and I missed out on
this by not grabbing mine before my husband tossed them!  Take
a smaller section of eave-it's okay if they leak, this allows for drainage.
Drill holes in the bottom of the eave and attach it to a deck, or drill
them in the top on each side and hang from chains. You can leave
them as is for a rustic look, or sand and paint with a brand such as
Rustoleum that is made for metal.

Galvanized buckets: Old ones are great!  But, you can buy new
ones cheaply and these will age with time.  Drill holes in the
bottom for drainage and hang from hooks or set around the
garden. Different sizes grouped together is a neat look too.

Wicker:  I have done this for years, but beware, the wicker
rots after one or two seasons.  What I do is use wicker baskets
that I've picked up for change at garage sales or thrift stores
and use them as long as I can. One long thin basket lasted
almost three years before it gave out.  Nasturtiums or pansies
look charming `in wicker baskets grouped together.

Old Farm Items: Feed or watering troughs are great finds, but
unfortunately they have become a sought out items by antique
hunters and dealers, so you may have trouble finding them. IF
you happen upon any troughs grab them up!  Some are made
of galvanized metal, others of a type of cement. You'll want to
drill holes if possible, or at least add a lot of rocks to the bottom
of the trough for drainage.

Enamelware: The first year we bought our house and I was
digging the flower beds I found several enamelware containers.
One was about the size of a dish tub. It was fairly shallow but
it works nicely for nasturtiums and other short plants and herbs.
Old coffee pots and pans work nicely too and the more beat up
the better! Remember to drill drainage holes.

Old Punch Bowls: I am afraid my old glass punch bowl became
too chipped to use any longer, so I saved the cups and I'm going
to use the bowl in the garden. I can't drill holes but I'm going to
keep it on the porch and use rocks for drainage. It was headed
to the trash, so this is worth a try!

Construction materials: This is not something everyone can do,
depending on what type of supply stores you have around you.
Drain tiles are opened ended, as are pieces material used for
culverts. With a good primer they can be primed and painted
with exterior paint and placed around the garden. Either of these
would work well for mints and other spreading herbs if you try
to bury the bottoms several inches into the ground.

Old Milk Cans: I've had one for years, and I don't plant anything
directly in the can, but I use pots that fit snuggly in the top
of the can and cascade over.  I've painted it several times and
it still looks great-though for the last few years I've kept it on
our covered porch.

Mailboxes:  They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be
attached to fence posts, walls or porches. You can prime
and paint them, or leave as is. Remember to drill drainage
holes-though many of them aren't sealed that well and if
you test by running water in it, you may not need to drill.

Wooden Boxes: I picked up several wooden boxes at an
auction a few years ago and have used these for planting
different herbs and annuals. I lined them with plastic and
slit holes in the bottom through the plastic. The wood
has slight gaps so I just slit through the gaps. All of the
boxes are 8-12 inches tall so they worked great.

Remember, ALL containers will take more watering then the
herbs in the ground. Yes, some of them like it a little drier, but
on hot, windy days especially you will need to water daily.
Grouping containers together on a sunny porch or deck where
you can harvest them easily is a great solution when you don't
have a lot of garden space.