In Full Bloom by MJL: DIY: Herb Garden

From time to time I get these hair-brained ideas that I must conquer. This day in age DIY projects are often fueled by pinterest and this DIY herb garden was no exception. Working in the Napa Valley has allowed me access to many wooden pallets. This got my wheels turning....what could I possibly use these for? My first wooden pallet project was constructing something to 1) decorate our front porch 2) upcycle a pallet 3) provide me and my man with fresh herbs right at our fingertips and 4) do a fun project as a couple (mainly, he constructed and I took care of the details...drainage, soil & plants)!

Materials Used:

Wooden Pallet
10' Galvanized Rain Gutter
6 Rain Gutter End Caps
Screws
Mesh Screen
Rocks
Soil
Plants

Step 1: Cut the rain gutter.
We used a shop saw and were able to cut it into three 40" pieces.

Step 2: Secure the end caps onto the segments of gutter. We used a rubber mallet and pliers to pinch them on. Be careful because the ends of the gutters are extremely sharp!

Step 3: Drill holes in the bottom of the gutters for drainage. We drilled holes every few inches.

Step 4: Screw the gutters into the pallet. We used a screw in the center, then leveled it and drilled screws into each side.

Step 5: Cover the drainage holes with mesh to prevent soil from coming out of the base of the cutter.

Step 6: Fill the bottom of each gutter with rocks for better drainage.

Step 7: Fill in the gutter with a layer of soil.

Step 8: Set in your plants where you would like. You can play around with the layout to see what works best.

Step 9: Once you're satisfied with the layout plant your herbs! If the plants are a little rootbound in the plastic container you can break them away a little bit. Plant them in the trough so that the top of the plant is pressed into the soil about an inch below the top line of the gutter. You want to be able to water your plants without instantly filling it with water and having soil dump over the sides.