DIY Raised Herb Garden Planter Box
Looking to start your own herb garden? Our DIY Raised Herb Garden Planter is an easy project that lets you start growing your own herbs, in your own yard, today!
We’ve been ‘wanna be’ gardeners for awhile now. A few years ago we started an herb and vegetable garden, but the area of the yard we chose doesn’t get enough sun so it turned out to be an expensive recipe for failure.
Then a few years later we started growing some herbs in various pots, but a few too many bunnies put an end to that plan. But we still really wanted to grow herbs. As an avid home cook, I cook almost every night and fresh herbs from the market can add up. Not only that, there’s nothing worse than planning a meal only to realize at the last minute that it needs some fresh herb I forgot to buy! How nice would it be to simply walk into the backyard and snip what I need?
So we decided a raised garden planter would be the perfect way to grow herbs! We could move it to any sunny spot in the garden we wanted, and it would keep out the bunnies or any other hungry critters who might be around! 😉
After looking around at what was available, it seemed all of them were well over $100 so my husband agreed to make one instead. I gave him some ideas of what I wanted it to look like, and he planned it out himself. It’s simple, practical, and exactly what I wanted.
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Specs:
Dimensions: 4′ W x 40″H x 18″ D, with legs that are 1″ x 3″
Tongue and groove sides
Cedar box
Supplies You’ll Need
•(8) 1”x6”x6’ cedar fence boards for box sides and bottom shelf planks
•(2) 2”x2”x6’ furring strip boards for bottom shelf frame
•(2) 1”x3”x8’ redwood boards (for box trim)
•(1) 1”x2”x6’ pine board for interior bracing
•(4) 2”x2”x8’ furring strip boards for legs
•(3) 1”x6”x6’ cedar fence boards for box bottom (or one wood pallet + scrap spacer boards from lumber yard)
•Miter saw
•Screw gun
•Nail gun
•C clamps
•Hammer
•Pry bar
•1 1/4” deck screws
•2 1/2” deck screws
•1 1/2” brads
•wood glue
•herbs of your choice
•Garden soil
We went back and forth about what wood we wanted to use, but ended up using cedar planks for the herb box itself, and wood from a pallet was used for the bottom.
It’s the perfect size for a kitchen herb garden. In fact, we’re thinking of building a second raised herb garden planter so that we can have a ‘shade’ herb garden box and a ‘sun’ one!
It’s lightweight enough that you could even add wheels if you wanted to be able to move it around.
Right now we’re currently growing thyme, green onions, Italian parsley, chives, sage and basil. But we’ve also already grown mint, and I hope to add tarragon eventually, too.
Shop DIY Herb Garden Planter Essentials
Happy Gardening!
Sheila
xo
Now be sure to visit some of my friends who are sharing their garden ideas and inspiration below!
My 100 Year Old Home | How to Grow Tomatoes at Home
Finding Lovely | DIY Aged Terracotta Pots
Twelve on Main | Super Cute DIY Mini Greenhouse
Inspiration for Moms | DIY Planter Trellis
Maison de Cinq | DIY Raised Herb Garden Planter Box
Happy Happy Nester | Lady Banks Rose
The DIY Mommy | Tiered Herb Planter with Dollar Store Buckets
Zevy Joy | Gardening Tips and Ideas From Our New Yard
My Sweet Savannah | DIY modern pedestal planter
If you enjoyed this post, you might want to check out a few other gardening projects below!
Hi Shiela – looks great – Thanks for sharing this – Did you feel that tongue and groove was needed on the sides to keep the soil and water from escaping?? Just asking as the T&G here in Canada is ~$US 18 per 1″x6″x8′ and the normal 1″x6″x8’cedar is ~ US $7 each. I suppose we could line the sides with a heavy plastic to obviate the leakage. Thanks for the question responses above re drainage. Also – what depth of soil do you end up having – looked like you had the base of the soil bed a couple of inches above the bottom of the 3rd side panel. Thanks Paulette & Keith
Hi there! You definitely don’t need tongue and groove as ours is not and is fine. There is no soil leakage at all, but there is some water. If that bothers you, then you could use the T&W but ours sits on gravel so it isn’t an issue. And in answer to the soil level, yes, it’s at about 3 or 4 inches above the bottom of the top panel. Though you could have it lower if you wanted – I just want to the see the herbs and if it were lower, you wouldn’t.
Hope that helps! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sheila
I’m so excited I found your blog! And can’t wait to try this project – thanks for sharing!
Such a great project! I love this idea and am dying to try it (just have to talk the hubby into it, haha!)
Your planter box looks great, Sheila!
Thanks so much Sarah! 🙂
Sheila
xo
Wow! It’s so cute. I’m going to show this to my husband and have us try it! Thanks for the idea!
I love this!
Did you drill holes in the bottom for drainage? Or maybe you didn’t need to. Or could I just add rocks in the bottom?
Thank you for your thoughts!
Hi Holly and thank you! We didn’t drill holes because the bottom is made from pallet pieces, not one solid piece of wood. The slight space between them is enough drainage for the plants without adding drainage holes. Hope that helps!
Sheila
What a great DIY idea! Whether you fill them with vegetables, flowers, or herbs, it looks like the perfect way to enjoy gardening (without the bunnies, haha!)
This is beautiful! And it is the perfect this to sell! You could sell it as a kit or an ebook for .99. You could also go to Home Depot or Lowes or wherever you purchased the material and pitch it as a sponsored post!
Haha I love your thinking Elizabeth – thanks for the kind words and encouragement! 😉
Sheila
xo
This is such a clever idea! I love it! The design looks great – you and your husband did an excellent job. We also have bunnies and deer, but I think this would work for us. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome idea and the plans for building it!
Thanks so much Jeanne! I know it keeps bunnies out, but not sure about deer! Maybe with some chicken wire around the top? You’d have to brainstorm some ideas on that one!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sheila
This is genius! I too love fresh herbs for cooking, and they re pricey to buy. We have bunnies that would indulge if this was at their level, this is worth serious consideration! Did you insert some type of box or liner for the actual plants? Thanks
Thanks so much Deanne! It is perfect for any yard with bunnies – hope you decide to make it! And no, we didn’t line the box. We used cedar and didn’t feel that needed anything further and it’s worked out perfectly! Good luck!
Sheila