How to Plant a Mini Herb Garden for Your Porch

Skip the dried, store-bought herbs and pick yours straight from your own miniature portable garden.

These handy little herb gardens are portable and completely charming. Give them to a friend who loves to cook or make a few for yourself.

DIY Portable Herb Garden

These handy little herb gardens are portable and completely charming. Give them to a friend who loves to cook or make a few for yourself.

Photo by: Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Materials Needed

  • planter box
  • scrap trim
  • 1/4" dowel
  • ruler
  • pen
  • hacksaw
  • drill with 1/4" bit
  • potting soil
  • mint, lavender, aloe (or other herbs of choice)
  • marker
  • soil scoop

Add Soil to Planter Box

Add several scoops of a high-quality potting soil into the planter. Consider amending the soil depending on what type of herbs you’re planting. For example, Mediterranean herbs, like rosemary, sage and oregano, thrive in sandier soils.

Step 1- Add Soil to Planter Box

DIY Portable Herb Garden

Step 1- Add Soil to Planter Box

Photo by: Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Transplant Herbs

Transplant a few herbs into each planter, giving each plant a little room to grow. If you’re planting several varieties in a larger planter, plant the taller herbs toward the back and the shorter ones toward the front. They’ll look better in the planter, and you’ll have better access when it’s time to snip some for meals and cocktails.

Step 2- Transplant Herbs

DIY Portable Herb Garden

Step 2- Transplant Herbs

Photo by: Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Brian Patrick Flynn, Flynnsideout.com

Make Herb Stakes

Measure, mark and cut several 4-inch lengths of scrap wood with a hack saw (Image 1). Then, saw several dowels down into 6-inch lengths (Image 2). Next, drill a hole in the base of each 4-inch piece to accommodate the dowel (Image 3). Insert the dowel into the hole (Image 4).

Label Stakes + Insert Into Planter

Using a marker, write the name of the plant on the stake. You can go simple or fancy with your writing style (Image 1). Once complete, insert the stake next to the correlating plant for proper identification (Image 2). You can even make a few extra stakes and keep them blank for future additions to your mini herb garden.

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