Tony O'Neill( Expert Gardener, Best Selling Author. )
Tony O’Neill, expert gardener and best-selling author of the famous “Simplify Vegetable Gardening,” “Composting Masterclass,” and “Your First Vegetable Garden,” combines lifelong passion and expert knowledge to simplify gardening. His mission? Helping you cultivate a thriving garden. More on Tony O’Neill
It’s always satisfying to have fresh herbs at your disposal for culinary uses, whether it’s for seasoning a soup, a roast, or other dishes. They lend an additional flavor to the meals. More impressively, being able to use these fresh herbs in your cooking amidst winter has its own perks. Also, the visual charm of some of the rarer indoor herb gardens is a sight to behold.
It’s straightforward to create an indoor herb garden. Just repurpose materials around your house or yard or buy inexpensive pieces. Some of these items are the kind you’d normally never consider in connection with herbs. But, if you’re just slightly handy, you can turn them into fantastic herb gardens.
Instead of buying that plain old standard herb garden set from your landscaping store, try putting together these 15 out-of-the-ordinary designs. Pick your favorites from this list and start setting up your dream herb garden today.
Table of Contents
1. Aquarium Hydroponics
Do you have an old fish aquarium taking up room in your attic? You can turn it into a splendid hydroponics system for your indoor herb garden with a little work. You can even let fish swim in it while your herbs grow.
Set up your aquarium and the pump on a sideboard in your kitchen. Fill it with tap water. Run the pump to bubble out the chlorine. Test the water to make sure it’s at a neutral ph level.
Create a styrofoam float with holes in it for plastic cups. Punch holes in the lower areas of the cups for the roots to grow through.
Place young herbs or seeds with clay pebbles in each cup. The water will seep up through the pebbles and water your herbs. Watch them grow!
2. Window Farm
Hang a network of chains across your kitchen window with eyeholes and S hooks. Secure it to the wall above your window with sturdy bolts. Fill several small flower pots with dirt—plant young herbs or seeds in each pot. Clip the pots to the chains in scattered patterns. Just makes sure each pot receives sunlight.
If you’re handy, you can transform this window farm into a hydroponics garden by placing each pot into a plastic bottle and attaching each with 1/4-inch tubing to a water pump. Use clay pebbles instead of dirt in the pots, and you’ll be good to go.
3. Wooden Box
Do you have some old, weather-beaten planks sitting in your garage? If you don’t, perhaps your friends do. Take five planks and build an old-fashioned planter box for your indoor herb garden. Fill 3 to 4 small flower pots or cups with dirt and plant your herbs. Arrange them nicely on the bottom of the box.
You can hang it on a sunny wall in your kitchen. Your herb garden will soon be producing wonderful smells and tastes.
4. Wall Shelves
Take the same idea as the wooden box. Make it bigger. Cut some additional planks. Turn them into 3 to 5 shelves. Secure them inside the box. This wall-hanger herb garden will be the home for rows of small flower pots or cups. Fill them with dirt and young herbs.
Ensure the wall shelving is securely attached to your wall with studs or a sturdy bracket. It will be heavy, especially as 12 to 18 different herbs keep growing and providing abundant flavor.
5. Window Hanging Planters
Build a frame somewhat smaller than your kitchen window. Drill three to four holes in the inward side of the top of the frame. Sand and clean it. Twist eyehooks into each hole until they are well embedded. Thread some attractive beige twine through the eyehooks.
Buy or make small pots. Carefully drill two holes in each pot. Thread the twine through those holes.
Now, fill the pots with dirt and young herbs. You’ll have a herb garden ready to hand and a stunningly beautiful feature in your kitchen.
6. Painted Pots
For a charming look, buy inexpensive small pots and saucers. Buy stencils of handsome, old-fashioned letter fonts. Create word stencils for your favorite herbs–thyme, cilantro, and basil. Paste one word to each pot.
Paint the pots a color that goes well with your kitchen decor. When the paint is well-dried, carefully peel off the stencils. Allow for additional drying time.
Plant species of young herbs into its appropriately named pot. Arrange them on your kitchen counter near your stove.
With their printed words, these containers will remind you of those old flour and sugar containers your grandmother used for baking. And, the words won’t let you forget which herb is which.
7. Mason Jars
Here’s an easy indoor herb garden project. Just fill clear mason jars with soil, plant your herbs, and group the jars on your kitchen counter near the window. They’ll create a lovely vignette in your kitchen and give you easy access to the herbs while cooking.
You can also secure these jars with clamps to boards and hang them on your kitchen wall. Use as many as you want for your herb garden.
8. Terracotta Pots
Again, this is super easy. Fill small terracotta flower pots with soil, plant the herbs, and group them near your kitchen window.
9. Wall Hanger Boards
Here’s a structure permitting you to create a large indoor with various herbs. Take four to five knotty pine boards. Bore four holes each, just the right size to insert your small terracotta flower pots.
Bore smaller holes at either end of each board: sand and clean each surface. Varnish the boards if you like that finished look. Knot the panels together with a thin rope in an attractive color. Make sure they’re spaced well apart, giving room for the pots and the growth of the herbs. Knot the strings at each hole and secure them behind the boards with plastic ties.
Don’t stint on the length of the ropes. Ensure at least two feet of excess rope are available at the top of the shelves.
Secure a closet clothing pole horizontally near the ceiling along the wall of your choice. This herb garden will need a lot of wall space, so make sure you don’t need to use that wall for anything else. Hang the shelves by winding the excess lengths of rope around the pole.
Again, make sure everything is secure with well-hidden plastic ties. Test the shelves’ sturdiness by tugging on them a bit.
Insert small terracotta flower pots into the holes after filling them with soil and young herbs. You will have room in this garden for 16 to 20 different herbs, more than enough for almost any dinner entree. The garden will look and smell fantastic.
10. Soil-Free Clear Globe Planters
Buy several clear glass globes with a hole on top of each. Place each in a small, attractive, clear dish. Fill the globes with water and a fair amount of nutrients. Place one very young herb in each.
Group the globes on a counter near your kitchen window or a small set of clear-glass shelves. The globes will sparkle in the sun, and the roots will sprout, creating an unusual look–a magical upside-down forest!
These roots will support the development of surprisingly large herbs. Keep refreshing the water and adding small amounts of nutrients occasionally.
11. Chinese Restaurant Take-Out Planters
For an incredibly inexpensive herb garden, turn your old Chinese take-out boxes into pots for your herbs. Get them thoroughly clean and dry. Better yet, ask your favorite restaurant to give you some unused boxes.
Please place them in an old pan. Fill them with soil and plant your favorite Chinese herbs. Voila! You’ve created an instant indoor herb garden with an unusual theme.
12. Small Buckets on Trellis
Hang a wooden trellis on your kitchen wall. Make sure it’s well secured with nails and brackets. Also, like the shelving garden, remember that this trellis will take up most of the space on your wall.
Hang S hooks in an attractive pattern on the slats. Attach hooks to each flower pot, ensuring each one is well secured.
Fill the pots with soil and plant your herbs. The trellis and the random pattern of pots and herbs will have a calming effect on you as you cook. It’ll be like bringing the outdoors inside your kitchen.
13. Old Clothespin Pots
For an instant country look, find or buy a large set of old-fashioned wooden clothespins that your grandmother used to hang her wash with on the line.
Attach 12 to 14 clothespins vertically around three old flower pots. Line the pots up in an old wooden tray.
Add soil and plant your three top favorite cooking herbs in each pot. Place the tray on the counter right next to your stove. Cooking with herbs will become almost automatic for you.
14. Hydroponic Herb Pot
Find or buy an old, clear coffee pot that servers serve customers with at your favorite diner. Here’s how to turn it into a hydroponic herb garden.
Make sure it’s well-cleaned. Boil it with filtered water. Fill it nearly to the top with additional filtered water. Add nutrients.
Get an old bowl. Cut lots of holes in the bottom. Thread the roots of larger herbs through the holes so their ends will dangle in the water. Add water and nutrients as needed.
The growing herbs will eventually spill over the sides in attractive patterns of varying lengths. You’ll never run out of herbs again for your cooking.
15. Baking Tin Planters
Here’s another clever way of growing herbs on your wall. Turn an old pie tin into an herb shelf. Take your container, and attach a half-circle of clear polymer plastic over the bottom half with strong glue. Let the glue cure for a day. Drill a small hole in the top of the pan.
Stand the tin up—layer gravel or pebbles in the base. Add a layer of soil over that. Plant your herbs in the soil. Hammer the pan into the wall.
FAQ’s Indoor herb garden ideas
Are herb gardens worth it?
The truth is that growing enough food to last a lifetime without buying groceries is nearly impossible for the ordinary home vegetable gardener. To save money and have friendlier products at your fingertips.
How long do herb plants last?
They can last for years if you look after them properly. Some are perennial and go to seed after two years, while others give some herb but die off fast.
Do I Water herbs every day?
Watering most herbs roughly once a week is a decent rule of thumb. It may be necessary to water twice a week during high heat or drought periods. To avoid evaporation and allow for deep root absorption, water in the mornings between 6 and 10 a.m.
How much light does an indoor herb garden need?
Herbs, on average, need at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Artificial lights can replace natural light if you don’t have access to it while growing your herbs. For optimal results, use LED or HID lighting. 14-16 hours of light are required for your plants.
Are herbs challenging to grow
Growing your herb garden in your house or yard is a fun pastime that improves the flavor of your food. Rosemary is a simple plant to produce, dry, and utilize. It is not difficult to grow your herbs. All that’s needed are suitable materials and a solid plan.
Conclusion on 15 Indoor Herb
You can multiply your herb garden by using several different sizes and designs of tins. Turn each one into a garden and hang them in an attractive grouping on your wall. You’ll have more room for a wider variety of herbs.
