Hanging Herb Garden

Last Spring we planted a herb garden in the corner of our yard, but when dinner time came around we always seemed to forgot about it. Out of sight, out of mind. We also live In Southern Alberta, and weather can be an issue (is it Summer? Is it Winter? No one knows). This year we decided to take the garden inside to make it more accessible and easy to care for. Also, to save counter space, we hung it in our windowsill. It was easy and turned out great!

Skill Level: Beginner

Materials

• 8 clay pots (4’ diameter)
  
• Dimensional lumber (1x6”) – how much you need depends on the length of your window, and how many levels, we used 8 feet
• Chain
  
• Wood stain
  
• White paint (for white wash)
• Spray paint
• Tung oil or varnish
• Small eye hooks x 12 (this is for 2 levels)
• Large eye hooks x 2

 
Tools

• Electric drill
• Electric miter saw
• Electric jig saw
• Electric sander
• Tape measure
• Rubber gloves
• Paint brushes
• Paper towel or rag
• Container (for paint)

 
How to Guide
 
Stencil

• Use a plastic potter or yogurt container to create a stencil for your holes.
• Place your pot into the container to ensure it is the right size so that the pot will not fall through the hole.

Measure and cut:

• Measure the width of your window.
• Cut 2 pieces (1x6” lumber) the width of your window (minus an inch).

 
Holes

• Mark the center points along each of your boards where your pots will sit – we had 4 pots per level and I spaced the edges of each hole 5” apart.
• Mark placement points where the edges of your holes will be (top, bottom, right side, left side).
• Repeat for all holes.

 
*Tip - If your pots are 4” in diameter, each placement point will be 2” from center point.

Circles

• Using the placement points, place your container on the board and trace.
• Repeat for all holes.
  

Drill it

• Drill holes in the center of each of your circles.

Jig it

• Using an electric jig saw, use the hole to start cutting along the lines of your circle.
  

Sand it

• Give your boards a light sanding.
• Sand and round the holes and edges.

Stain it

• Stain boards as directed.
  

White wash (optional)

• Begin by watering down your paint.
• In your container/bucket, mix 1/3 cup paint to 1 cup water (1:3 ratio).
• Stir until consistent.

 
Application

• The most important part of white washing is to keep your paintbrush as dry as possible. You need a very small amount of paint on the brush tip.
• Lightly brush along the grain. The paint will dry quickly so try not to be too broad in your strokes or it will cause clumping.
• If your paint brush is getting too wet, dab it on the paper towel. I suggest dabbing after every dip into the paint before applying it to your piece.
• If the white wash is going on too thick, use a rag to wipe the access off the wood.

 
*Tip – The first coat it might look like you barely applied any paint. Restrain yourself from adding more paint, the colour will deepen with more coats. With white washing it is better to do many thin coats, than 1-2 heavy coats, or you will not get the “washed” look. Let the paint dry completely between coats and add additional coats until the colour is consistent and you are happy with the tone. You may prefer less if you want to see the wood grain. I did only 1 coat, as I wanted to just tone down the stain for a more weathered look.
 
Finish

• Use Tung Oil or varnish to give it a protective coat.

 
*Tip – I like Tung Oil because it has lower VOC and is food safe once dry.

Spray it

• Spray paint your pots as directed.
• You can also add designs and get creative with these!
  

Screw it

• Mark where the eye hooks will be placed in each corner on the board. Remember that the top board will have hooks on both side, space them out a little bit.
• Drill pilot holes where the marks are.
• Screw in the small eye hooks
  

Chain it up

• Measure the height of your window and where you want the shelves to sit.
• Cut 8 lengths of chain, one for each corner of the 2 boards (you will need addition lengths if you have more than 2 levels).
• Attach the chain to the top eye hooks on your boards.
  

Hang it

• Mark and drill a pilot hole in the top corners of your windowsill.
• Screw in the large eye hooks.
• Hang your top shelf from the windowsill eye hooks.
• Hang your bottom shelf from the top shelf eye hooks.
• Close-up the chains.
  

Place it

• Plant your herbs in your pots.
• Place the pots in the holes on the shelves.
  

Added touch!

• Use wine corks as planter labels, write the name of the herb on the cork using a permanent marker.
• Cut 5” stakes out of metal clothes hangers.
• Push the stakes into the bottom of the corks.
• Place the label in the pot.

Cultivate your fresh herbs, garnish your meal and bon appetite!