Feel like an indoor container gardening failure? Try a different approach with this easy indoor herb garden that can easily be transported outdoors depending on the weather… A simple DIY project that takes under 10 minutes!
I’m just going to put this out there — I’m a total container gardening failure. Over the years, I’ve shared several posts about how I’ve started an indoor herb garden and then… crickets. My guess is some of you probably wondered why there were no follow-up posts.
The truth is: I completely and utterly suck at nurturing a tiny seed into a thriving herb plant indoors. Outside? No problem. But my indoor sprouts just seem to shrivel up and wither away, and I’ve yet to pinpoint the exact problem. Too much water? Not enough water? Too much sun? Too little sun? A cold draft? Sigh, I just don’t get it.
So when I received an email asking me to share some tips for planting an indoor herb garden, I felt a little inauthentic trying to portray myself as an indoor herb gardening guru. BUT after wandering around Walmart recently, a bit of inspiration struck. So I decided to give an easy indoor herb garden another shot!
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What am I doing differently this time?
I changed two key principles in my latest easy indoor herb garden attempt:
1| I used a container that is easily transported from indoors to outdoors and back. Actually, if I’m being honest, this was totally unplanned. Originally I was just going to use a terra cotta planter that I already own, but I spied this adorable Better Homes and Garden utensil caddy at Walmart recently.
It dawned on me that the galvanized steel and 6 compartments would be perfect for planting herbs, and the wooden handle makes it super easy to carry it out of the house and back in, depending on the weather.
2| I purchased herb starters from the garden department at Walmart. Yep, instead of trying to grow my herbs from seed, I figured caring for nearly mature plants would be a heap simpler!
Even so early in the growing season, they actually had a great selection available. I snagged rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, and thyme. Basil was also on my wishlist, but I couldn’t find any basil plants in the garden department. However, I did end up finding one sad-looking little plant in the produce department… I’m hoping that it will flourish with a little love and care.
Planting an Easy Indoor Herb Garden
Planting my herbs in the utensil holder was simple enough. I started by adding some gravel to the bottom of each section to help with drainage. I’m pretty sure it would be easy enough to drill some small holes in the bottom instead, but the gravel seemed like the simplest option — and I’m all about simple and easy!
For most of the herbs, I could just peel off some of the biodegradable pot and squeeze the whole thing down into a square. Then I filled in any gaps with potting soil. The basil plant was quite a bit smaller than the others, so I did need to add additional soil before setting it in. Plus I needed to fill in quite a bit more around it.
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I gave the planted herbs a small drink of water and voila — not only can I move my little herb garden around easily at will, I can actually start using small cuttings from it right away!
Sometimes the appearance of my favorite fresh herbs in the produce department is a bit questionable, so I’m thrilled to have a better option ready to use. And truthfully, each plant already yields about three times what I’d get in one of those small plastic clamshell containers for just about the same price — so it’s by far a more frugal option. I can’t believe I didn’t think to try this sooner!
What’s your biggest challenge with an indoor herb garden?
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Teri says
Thank you for this great idea! I made mine this weekend. Used parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, & tarragon. I used a China marker/grease pencil to write the name of each herb on the side of the galvanized utensil carrier. Will try to post photo.
andrea says
How often are you moving the plan from indoors to outdoors. I have never grown an herb garden because I live in an apartment, but this seems like a great option. Just look for some more advice on growing the herbs!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Great question, Andrea! It really depends a lot on the weather. In the spring, I try to take it out every day — unless it’s raining or really windy. However, as the weather gets hotter, it tends to dry out very quickly. So I might only take it out for a short while in the morning or late afternoon, and I try to avoid scorching direct sunlight as we move into summer. Fall is similar to spring, and then our climate typically isn’t conducive to putting it outside. So in this case I just try to move it to a window with good light each day.
Shannon Beuchat Durso says
I was contemplating the terracotta also , then I decided it wouldn’t be what I wanted. So I was canceling the idea when I found super cute utensil caddy at TJMAX I fell in love. I can’t wait to get my herbs tomorrow#
Emilee says
Would the compartments restrict the growth? I just bought my first herbs to start my first herb garden and I have been looking at all the different ideas on how to keep them portable but I have been concerned with the different pots restricting their growth.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Great question, Emilee! The size of the container will always limit the size of the plant growing in it, so it really depends on how often you will be taking cuttings. The small size format is working perfectly for our needs so far.
A quick update overall: My oregano, rosemary and thyme are all thriving. My basil is still looking a little sad, but remember, I didn’t start with a very healthy plant. I may actually purchase a new one if it doesn’t perk up soon.
The sage is doing well, although not as well as the basil, rosemary and thyme. This probably has more to do with the fact that our Weimaraner puppy seems to have really taken to it and will nip leaves off any time it’s within reach.
The parsley actually didn’t survive, and I’m not sure why, but I’ve never been especially successful at growing it indoor or outdoors. If anyone has tips or suggestions, I’m all ears! I planted some new parsley seeds, and while they’re sprouting, they don’t seem to be taking off. Maybe I just need to select a different herb altogether.
Stephanie Braun Robb says
Neglect it, I have 2 parsley plants that came back in zone 5 this spring, I didn’t care for them at all from fall to now. I just ordered a flatware caddy because the pots I’ve been buying just dont fit well on the kitchen counter, love this idea for indoor herbs (already purchased herbs and 2 different pots). I think I will make one for my mom for Mothers day too!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I like that advice, Stephanie! Easy to follow, lol. I agree that it would make a great gift for Mother’s Day — or even a housewarming gift.
Erin Baynham says
I love the idea of having an indoor/outdoor herb garden!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
It really is so convenient, Erin! I’ve been thankful for it over and over again this past week with the weird cold snap we’ve been having in Ohio.