Do you happen to have an old Euro pallet lying around somewhere? If so, now is the right time to use it. Such a simple wooden pallet can not only be used to build all sorts of great DIY furniture, but also a space-saving herb garden for the balcony, terrace or small garden.
How to create an herb garden from a pallet?
To build a space-saving herb garden from a Euro pallet, you will need a pallet, narrow wooden slats, mulch or pond liner and tools. Attach the cut wooden slats as floors, line the resulting “flower boxes” with foil and fill them with herb substrate and plants.
Build a vertical herb garden in the Euro pallet
You don't even have to be particularly skilled at turning the pallet into a herb garden. Basically, all you have to do is cut the bases to size and screw them on and line the resulting flower boxes with pond liner or something similar. Your self-built herb garden is ready!
This is what you need
Materials you need:
- a Euro pallet
- narrow wooden slats for the bottom of the “flower boxes”
- Mulch or pond liner
- possibly decorative materials such as blackboard foil, ropes, masking tape
and corresponding tools:
- Drill or larger nails and a hammer
- a large stapler with plenty of stapler needles (€4.00 on Amazon)
- a saw
- and sandpaper.
How to build
Once you have all the materials together, you can now start building. First of all, turn the pallet around and measure how long and wide the bottom of the three future “flower boxes” needs to be. Then cut three suitable bases from the narrow wooden slats and attach them well. Once that's done, you basically just have to line the "flower boxes" with foil and staple them - done. The rest is just fine work that you can do or not as you wish. The herb palette can be nicely decorated with blackboard foil and ropes, sanded smooth and varnished/colored or whatever else you can think of to embellish it.
Plant the pallet correctly
Fill the resulting flower boxes with suitable herb substrate, the composition of which depends entirely on the species you want. Mediterranean herbs receive a lean, sandy substrate, while other culinary herbs receive a richer mixture such as potting and herb soil and a little sand. Don't forget to first place a few centimeters of smaller pebbles or similar under the substrate as drainage - after all, waterlogging is fatal for most herbs. Around 12 different herbs fit into a standard Euro pallet with three “flower boxes”. Of course, the exact number depends primarily on how large the selected species usually grow and how often you want to harvest them. Give the plants enough air and light so that they can grow he althily.
Which herbs are suitable for planting in the pallet?
Basically, all leafy and flowering herbs are suitable for growing in the herb range. Only root herbs such as horseradish do not thrive under these conditions, after all, space is quite limited. When planting the boxes, make sure that you always put herbs with similar moisture and nutrient needs together - combinations like parsley and rosemary are unlikely to get along too well. For example, plant the top row (where there is a lot of sun) with Mediterranean herbs, the bottom row with speci alties such as coriander, basil, mint or various wild herbs and the bottom row with common culinary herbs such as parsley, chives and chervil.
Tip
Always attach the herb palette well, for example to a wall or with the help of support posts. If it is in the garden as a privacy screen, you can also encase it in concrete. This security is necessary so that the entire structure does not fall over in the next breath of wind.
