In addition to upcycling and crafting, I’m also really passionate about cooking. Blame my mom- she’s a pastry chef, so I inherited my kitchen genes from her. When I started planting my plot in our community garden in the spring, I came across a neat idea online for my herbs. Since herbs are more of a last-minute need for cooking, I didn’t want to have to walk or bike four blocks away to snip some parsley for my spaghetti, so I decided to make a simple contraption for growing my herbs right in my apartment. This project includes mason jars, pallet wood and organic herbs, so what’s not to love?
I started by planting my herbs. I picked up some quart-sized wide-mouth mason jars, smashed up some terra cotta pots and put the pieces in the jars before filling them with potting soil. (The terra cotta absorbs the extra moisture since there’s no way for the mason jars to drain. This way, your plants won’t get moldy.) I only needed three small pots. Then I planted the seeds and watered the plants. Herb garden: done.
Super easy.
Then came the contraption I used to mount them. I grabbed six clamps — the technical definition for them is “worm drive clamps,” in case you don’t want to look like an idiot wandering around Home Depot, trying to convince the salesman you know exactly what you’re doing — and screwed them into two separate pallet boards. I put a simple hook used to hang picture frames on the back. I used some spare chalkboard paint to make labels, and popped the mason jars in. Perfect.
The mint is empty because I couldn’t find any seeds, and had to wait and buy the cuttings from a local herb farm. The original plan was to hang these in the kitchen of my new apartment, but when I moved in, I realized that the kitchen wasn’t near a window. After admitting defeat, I popped the mason jars out of the clamps and lined them up on my bedroom windowsill. They’re growing phenomenally, but I set the pallet boards aside so I can reuse them when I move into a different apartment.
Voila- organic garden fresh herbs. Do you have an indoor herb garden? I’d love to hear what methods you use for growing your own herbs indoors.
