How to make a herb palette garden

Free garden palettes can easily be acquired from industrial estates, building sites and garden centres, and a great way to up-cycle them is to turn them into herb gardens. So, if you want to grow your own herbs but don’t have a big garden, here’s a super easy way to make a DIY herb palette garden without breaking the bank.

This herb palette will be constructed using up-cycled aluminium cans, put any weatherproof container (including plastic bottles) is ideal. Just remember to thoroughly clean the containers before use.

I’m leaving my palette unpainted as it hasn’t been treated with chemicals, but if you’re using a treated palette, line any planting areas that come into direct contact with the soil, and ensure the lining has drainage.

All the cans used for this planter had drainage holes added. The vertical cans had holes drilled at the bottom of the cans, while the diagonal cans had the holes drilled around the base of the cans, (as they will be sitting on the wooden ledges, so holes at the bottom would be ineffective.)

The cans on the vertical planks were secured using industrial strength, weatherproof duct tape, but string or garden twine would work equally well.

The cans on the diagonal planks were secured by screws.

Once all the cans are in place, plant up using a good quality, organic compost.

This planter is planted with home grown herbs and micro chard greens – but you can choose anything. Just always consider how much space a plant needs to grow before planting in a small space.

The finished planters can be drilled onto walls, hung on fences or left freestanding.

Creating palette planters can be a great way to get children interested in gardening. Once everything is secure, paint the palettes with bright colours, and add butterfly decorations along with things like shells and pine cones which can be glued onto the palette. If you are creating a palette with children, try sowing quick growing plants, like radish and cress.