It’s easy to make your own vertical herb garden from a second-hand pallet. All you have to do is find a suitable pallet and use some landscaping fabric to create the planting pockets. Attaching the fabric to the pallet is as simple as using an upholstery-grade staple gun. This project can be completed in just a few hours. You can leave the pallet natural or even varnish or paint it. Once you’ve made one of these vertical herb planters, you’ll find a multitude of uses for others around your garden.
The video below shows you exactly how easy it is to make this herb garden from a pallet.
*This website is reader-support so this post may contain affiliate links for which I earn commissions.*
Supplies Needed
- Landscaping fabric (at least 4 ft x 8 ft or 120 cm x 240cm)
- Staple Gun and staples (heavy duty suitable for upholstery)
- A second-hand pallet
- A sharp pair of scissors
- Some good quality potting mix
- A variety of different herbs or other plants to put in your new planter
You can also choose to paint the pallet in a nice color that matches your patio or balcony furniture or you could use a timber varnish if you plan to place your pallet garden next to a fence outside.
Step by Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to create your vertical pallet garden:
1. Lay the pallet flat on the ground.
2. Measure the landscaping fabric so that it’s twice the length of the pallet and cut to size using scissors.
3. Fold the landscaping fabric in half lengthwise and cut down the center so that you get two equal pieces.
4. Slide each piece of fabric through the slats on the pallet from top to bottom on either side. This will be used to create the planting pockets and will keep the potting mix in place.
Create The Planting Pockets
5. Pull the fabric up through each section evenly to create excess fabric in each section to create the planting pockets.
6. Take your staple gun and staple the fabric to the back slats at the top and the bottom of the pallet. This will hold the fabric in place while you create each pocket. Make sure that you use enough staples to ensure that the fabric is held firmly in place both at the top and the bottom of the pallet.
7. Make each pocket by starting at the bottom.
8. Once you’ve created each pocket staple the fabric onto the pallet. Make sure you staple both the bottom crease and the sides of the fabric onto the pallet so that the soil will be contained within each pocket.
9. Also staple the back of the fabric onto each backboard so that it’s held firmly in place all over.
Making The Herb Garden Secure Once You Stand It Up
Once all the pockets have been created, it’s time to stand your pallet up and give it some support. You can do this in a number of different ways:
1. Create feet using small blocks of timber that you attach to the base using a drill and some screws to secure them.
2. With the herb garden that I created, I used a couple of star pickets that attach to either side and are hammered into the ground. I also used some strong rope to secure the herb garden to the fence for added security.
3. If you’re placing your herb garden against a fence or another solid structure, you can easily secure it to the structure using screws.
Filling The Herb Garden
Now that your herb garden is finished, it’s time to fill the pockets with good-quality potting mix. Make sure that you gently press down the mix as you’re adding it.
You will find that over time, the mix will compact or some may get washed out when you water or when it rains. For this reason, you’ll want to top up the mix periodically.
Finally, it’s time to add the plants. You can fill the entire planter with different herbs or you can mix it up a bit and add some strawberry plants or even flowers. Remember that many flowers are edible as well. You could even add shallow-rooted vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. You can find out how much space spinach takes to grow in this article.
Note: If you want to paint your new herb garden, do this before you fill it with potting mix.
