Although I live in the middle of a huge metropolis, it feels quite the opposite. While my zip code reads big city, I actually live in a tiny rustic cabin built in 1926. There are often hawks in the trees outside my window and I see opossums, skunks, coyotes, and raccoons on a regular basis. It's sort of the perfect combination for me. I get all the amenities of a big city, but at the end of the day I can retreat to a simpler world. It's perfect, except for one important aspect: my kitchen garden.
Since there are so many critters wandering around looking for a tasty treat, I've had to be a little more creative about where I put my herbs and veggies.
Enter my new. . .
. . . vertical. . .
. . . herb garden. Now I just have to figure out how to do this on a larger scale for my veggies :)
Hanging Herb Wall
Materials:
- 1-1/2" x 1/4" wooden lath (you can usually find it in the garden section)
- Plant containers of various shapes and sizes
- Peg Board hooks
- 1/8" aluminum wire (Easily found at a hardware store. You could also use baling wire, but that's a bit harder for children to work with)
- Potting Soil
- Waxed canvas markers (optional)
- Paint (optional)
- Herb seedlings
- Drill
- 1/4" drill bit
- Needle nose pliers
- Screws
Using your pliers and the wire, make a loop around the lip of the container you started with and wrap the wire around itself to secure (don't cut it yet). Make a vertical loop and cut the wire about an inch longer than where you would like to attach the end to the wire that runs around the lip of your container. Wind the extra wire around to secure (see second photo). Do this for the rest of your containers.
Once you have all of your wire hangers on the planters, plant your herbs in them. If you are mixing in some glass jars, make sure to put some gravel or broken pot shards in the bottom to help with drainage. Set plants aside.
Decide where you would like to put your herb wall. I chose to use the supports for my deck, but you could also attach the horizontal pieces to two 2x4's and lean them against a fence (like a ladder) or something of the sort. Attach the lath crosspieces with screws (you may want to pre-drill to avoid splitting). Once the lath is in place, drill two 1/4" holes for each container you have about 2" apart from one another. You can place them in a vertical line or stagger them, whatever suits your fancy. When you finish drilling your holes, install the pegboard hooks and hang your planters on them.
If you would like a sign you could paint one and hang that as well. Add waxed canvas flags if you would like (they were made the same way as our waxed canvas garden banners)
Happy gardening!
~ Sarah
*Last time in Crafts and Activities: Hand Stamped Garden Banners
