Indoor/Outdoor Herb Garden

With fall and winter approaching, it's nice to have an herb garden in your house. By using a used plastic container and vintage bricks remaining from a 1920s hotel fire, I have created a great herb garden for the kitchen or the patio! They smell great, and taste better!

Find something to use as a container for your herbs/plants. This clear plastic container I had lying around was the perfect size for my setup, but this project can be adapted to any size or shape. For preparation, give your container a good wash, and add holes for water drainage if necessary. There were some small circles on the bottom of mine, which made perfect markers for drainage holes. After drilling, clean up the holes with a file, sandpaper, or a deburring tool. You may want to rinse the container again at this point to remove any chips/shavings from drilling.

To allow better water drainage and keep the dirt in the now-planter, add some gravel, stones, or something similar (I used pieces of brick), and cover it with window screen.

Determine what herbs (or fruits or vegetables or plants of any type) will best suit your needs and your chosen planter. I decided to go with Greek oregano, rosemary, sweet basil, and Italian/flat leaf parsley. Choose a layout for the plants that allows enough space for growth. When you have finalized your layout, plant your selected herbs/veggies/fruits. If there were instructions with your plants or seeds, follow them as closely as possible. I used organic topsoil for the herbs.

Collect items for decoration of your now-planter, and arrange them as you see fit. I used reclaimed bricks as decoration in the container, and some twine on the outside, which can be seen in the next step.

Your container to planter conversion is now complete! Remember to perform any necessary plant maintenance. Enjoy your indoor/outdoor garden!