Have you ever wondered how, and even if you could create a herb garden in a pallet?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a budget-friendly and space-efficient herb garden using discarded pallets. From choosing the right materials to the lessons learned, let’s explore the ins and outs of cultivating a thriving garden in an eco-friendly way.
Benefits of pallet herb gardens
Reuse Materials: Give a new life to discarded pallets by repurposing them into a functional and aesthetically pleasing herb garden.
Vertical Growing: Maximize your garden space by creating a vertical pallet herb garden. Ideal for those with limited space, this innovative approach allows you to cultivate herbs and salads without compromising on yield.
Low Cost: Save on expenses by utilizing pallets that are often available for free. This sustainable gardening solution is not only environmentally friendly but also budget-conscious.
Safe: As long as you choose the right pallets (see below) it is totally safe to grow in pallets.
Important Things to Know Before You Start
Choose the Right Pallet: Ensure the pallet you choose is free from chemicals. Opt for pallets marked with the ‘HT’, ‘KD’ or ‘DB’ stamp, indicating heat treatment, kiln dried or de-barked rather than chemical treatment.
Secure the Soil: Line your pallet to prevent soil or compost from falling out. This simple step ensures a tidy and well-contained herb garden.
Select Suitable Plants: Due to limited depth, choose plants with shallow roots. Herbs, salads and strawberries are all great choices. Strawberries cascading growth over the pallet’s edge not only adds visual appeal but also prevents shading issues.
How to Make a Horizontal Herb or Salad Pallet Garden
Here is how we made a horizontal herb garden from a pallet, below I have mentioned some of the lessons learnt and things I would do differently.
Step 1: Choose Your Pallet
Select a sturdy, chemical free, pallet for the foundation of your herb garden. Remove any splinters, sand any edges that look like they might splinter or hurt you.
Step 2: Reinforce the Base
Add waste wood lengths into the gaps along the base to provide additional support and prevent compost falling through. We drilled planks extracted from other pallets. You don’t need to fill all the gaps, just enough that the compost won’t fall out. Some spaces will allow for drainage
Step 3: Position the Pallet
Place the prepared pallet in its designated spot, ensuring it receives adequate sunlight. Do this before you fill it as it will be lighter to move
Step 4: Line the Pallet
We used cardboard, as it was an available waste material that could be reused. We knew that it would rot down over time and add organic matter to the growing compost.
Step 5: Add Compost
Use a nutrient-rich, ideally homemade, compost to provide a healthy growing environment for your herbs or salads.
Step 6: Plant
Plant your chosen plants. Herbs, salads and strawberries are all great choices as they have shallow roots. Water well, and water regularly.
We added some old pieces of clear plastic, a bit like a cloche to help with plant growth early in the growing season.
Lessons Learned
We used the planter above for a single growing season, and then repurposed the pallet again to be the side of a compost bin. Here are some of the lessons we learnt.
Cardboard was not the best choice of lining for pallets. It really only lasted for one season. A more durable alternative for a longer-lasting herb garden would be a gardening membrane, for example weed suppressing membrane or possibly even some very small spaced wire mesh.
Space, while the horizontal pallet garden produced an excellent crop of short-term salads. We found that it took up a lot of space. Next time we plan to opt for a vertical pallet herb garden to maximize productivity and save on horizontal space.
Regular Watering: Be prepared to water your pallet garden regularly as the depth of soil in a pallet is small, so these types of garden are prone to drying out easily.
Whilst it wasn’t the most elegant garden, it was functional and free and we grew a healthy crop of salads and herbs from this pallet herb garden. We have lots of ideas for the future, including smaller planters and vertical pallet beds. I would love to hear about your pallet projects in the comments below.