Indoor Herb Garden DIY | Vertical Garden Idea

If you know me, you know I’m a plant lover! I have grown full container gardens and share lots of plant info and guidance on my socials. Right now, I live in a townhouse with a suspended deck and a small front flower bed, but one day, I hope to have a beautiful backyard full of flowers and crops.

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This year, I plan on starting another container garden for a few staples like tomatoes, arugula, kale, and maybe some jalapeño peppers. But we have to seal our deck before putting that together, so you know what that means – another DIY! I’ll share more on that when we get there. For now, I decided to create an indoor herb garden to have my daily-use herbs at my fingertips.

I knew I wanted a hanging herb garden to be more efficient with space in our home. After lots of research, I chose to use this kitchen system from IKEA. I loved the matte black color and sleek design.

How to create a DIY Indoor Herb Garden 

I shared the whole installation process in the video below, but I’ve also compiled a list of things you need to know for doing a DIY install of a hanging indoor herb garden. 

Total cost: $67 (including plants)
Level of difficulty: 4/10
Total time spent: 1 hour

Materials

• 23 in Ikea wall rack
• 6 Ikea Plant pots
• Drill
• Stud Finder
• Pencil
• (Similar) Screws
• Anchors
• Tape Measure
• Herbs
• Pebbles
• Potting Soil
• Laser Level (optional)
• Painter’s Tape (optional)
• Drop cloth (optional)

The process is easy with the directions provided by Ikea.

1. Use your tape measure to determine where you want the bar to go. You can also use a laser level to ensure that the lines are straight. Using your pencil, draw marks on the wall for where you want the brackets to go. 
2. It helps to attach the bar to the brackets first, using the screws and Allen key provided with the rack. Check the brackets against the marked holes to make sure they line up. We used painters’ tape to help visualize the spacing. **We installed the top and bottom racks with 1 ft of space in between them.
3. Pre-drill your holes and insert anchors.
4. Attach brackets and bar to the wall with the screws.
5. Add a thin layer of pebbles to the plant pots.
6. Transplant the herbs, making sure to loosen the roots at the bottom with your fingers.
7. Add additional potting soil around the plant as needed.
8. Add the pots on the bars using the hooks provided.

Tips For Installation

• Purchase black screws. This product DOES NOT include screws. You’ll have to purchase them separately at a hardware store. I suggest using black screws to give the unit a seamless look.
• Use anchors. This product isn’t plastic and has real weight to it. You need to use anchors or both sides won’t be able to drill directly into studs.
• Invest in a laser level. This is by far the easiest way to make sure you’re installing your bracket to align perfectly.

Tips For Plants

• Make sure the area you’re installing your herb garden in gets ample sunlight! You can also invest in grow lights if that’s not possible. Here’s one I’m purchasing as a secondary source.
• They need drainage. The pots come with an insert that has holes in it, but I added pebbles from the dollar store as an extra layer to help prevent root rot. My hope is that only a small amount of water accumulates in the bottom of the pots and doesn’t affect the roots.
• They’ll need consistent water. These are pretty small pots, meaning they won’t hold a bunch of water for days. I water mine every other day, though I give my rosemary a little less  since it likes dryer soil.
• They may not be long-term, but that’s okay with me. Every two weeks I spend $2 each on mint, rosemary, and cilantro that doesn’t have a very long shelf life. This system may not have your herbs hold super long term, but getting 2 or 3 months at a time out of each plant will save money in the long run. I can easily replace herbs that don’t make it with a new one from the grocery store or Lowes.

Best herbs to grow indoors:

• Mint
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Parsley

I love how this project turned out! When we made dinner a couple of days ago, my husband grabbed some rosemary of the wall, washed it, and cooked with it that easy!

Let me know if you have any questions and tag me if you decide to create one in your home! I’d love to see your indoor herb gardens!

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