DIY Vertical Herb Garden

DIY Vertical Herb Garden

I’m a sucker for a good herb garden. Every year, never fail, I plant a herb garden. There is something about the fresh basil leaves in my pasta or the fresh rosemary sprigs in my cocktails that entices me.

Before I moved into my home, I planted a tiny indoor garden in my apartment window, but now that I have the space and freedom to be creative, I decided to do something a little more permanent. On top of making my food tasty, I love to watch herbs go, so I wanted to find a good way to display them while still being functional.

I came across a DIY wooden trellis while casually scrolling through Pinterest the other day and a light bulb went off. What better way to display and grow my herbs than hanging them from a trellis?

Check out the details of my DIY trellis herb garden below.   

This project took me about 3 hours and $20 to make.

Materials:

  • 5 8ft pressure treated 2×2
  • 3 8ft pressure treated 1×2
  • 2-inch exterior deck screws
  • Potting soil
  • 14-inch zip ties
  • 12 6-inch Clay pots
  • Herb plants

Tools:

  • Measuring tape
  • Drill

Here’s the schematic of the trellis.

Step 1: Purchase lumber

Head to your local home improvement store. I knew nothing about lumber pieces before starting this project, so I asked the sales assistants at Home Depot to help me find the materials I needed. One thing I learned during this process is that all lumber pieces are not created equal. Some turn out warped and ragged so be sure to investigate them well before leaving the store to find the straightest pieces.

Step2: Cut

I got my lumber cut at Home Depot. I wanted my trellis to be 7ft high and 4 ft wide, so I got the 2×2’s cut to 7ft and the 1×2’s cut to 4ft.

Cut list:

  • 5 pressure treated 2×2 at 7ft
  • 6 pressure treated 1×2 at 4 ft

Step 3: Build

Lay the 2×2’s framing pieces in place to create the vertical part of the frame. Next lay the top and bottom 1×2’s in place and drill pieces together.

Measure 1ft along the horizontal top and bottom pieces. Lay the other three 2×2’s at 1ft apart and screw to the top and bottom horizontal pieces. Finally lay the other 4 1×2’s 1ft apart along the vertical and screw all pieces down.

Step 4: Install trellis in garden

This was the hardest part for me. The soil where I planned to install the trellis was very rock and require a bit of strong arming to dig. But since the soil was rocky, I only dug about a 1ft deep hole for each trellis leg. Once you are finish digging, install trellis and relax, the hard part is over!

Step 5: Attached pots

There are many options for hanging planters out there so you can get creative with this part. I really liked this option but I wanted to keep this project low cost so instead I opted for zip ties.

To attach pots using zip ties, simply wrap zip ties along the length of your pot, with the zip tie knot at the base of pot.

Then use a second zip tie to attach the zip tie on the pot to the trellis.

This is a cheap and easy solution that is still very discrete.

Step 6: Plant away!

Now that we’ve made the trellis and attached the pots, the final step is to plant your herbs. I purchased my favorites herbs from Home Depot. Simple remove the plant from packaging and place in pot, topping up with soil where necessary. 

Here is the completed herb garden.

Let me know how you are growing and displaying your herbs this summer.