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8 Space-Saving Vertical Herb Garden Ideas for Small Yards & Balconies

Whether you have a house with a tiny backyard or you live in an apartment that has a balcony, figuring out how to go about building an herb garden can be somewhat of a challenge when there’s such limited space to work with. Rather than trying to spread your herbs out in containers or planters across any flat surface in sight, why not get a little creative by going for a vertical solution? You can save so much more space when you do! Here are eight great ideas that are easy enough for any gardening enthusiast to undertake.

Trellis Treasures

This project from Making Lemonade took inspiration from a couple of windows and attached trellises to them. Herbs in tin planters are super easy to hang and go great with the rest of the patio decor. You could even add other decorative pieces to your trellis, like lanterns and candles.

Herbs in tin planters hung on trellises
Candles add some decor to your new trellis herb garden

Potted Perfection

Your potted herbs don’t necessarily need to be placed on a table or the floor. In fact, there are all sorts of great places to hang them from if you just look around. An example from Shelterness shows small colored pots hung neatly on a fence. Almost better than having vines or other large plants covering it!

Colorful potted herbs make a nice decorative idea for a fence in your yard

If you prefer a dedicated structure for your garden and you’re looking for a real DIY project, you can use this tutorial from AKA Design that shows you how to build your own vertical herb garden using cedar wood posts and wire netting.

Build your own stand-alone structure for a vertical garden using cedar wood and wire netting

Even without a fence or a separate structure, you can still build a small vertical garden using an old pallet like this one from Kelly Moore. Rustic looking and easy to set up!

Use an old pallet for attaching small potted herbs
Use hose clamps to hold the pots firmly in place

Apartment dwellers shouldn’t be left out. If you live in a high-rise building with a balcony and still want to be able to set up an herb garden somewhere out there, you should really consider taking some inspiration from The Horticult and this super cool hanging garden idea.

Use a few hardware pieces to attach pots to one another so they can hang from your balcony
A hanging herb garden from your balcony will be sure to turn some heads!

Storage Versatility

Ever thought you could grow actual herbs from hanging shoe pockets? You definitely can! This is a great solution if you don’t have any pots lying around. All the steps to seeing how it’s done are available on Instructables.

Use hanging shoe pockets for a vertical herb garden
Hang your shoe pocket garden on a wall or fence and watch it grow

Gutter Inspiration

If you have any extra rain gutter material lying around, or if you head over to your local outdoor home store to pick some up, you can easily make your own hanging herb garden out of it. If you like a more streamlined look in comparison to hanging pots all over the place, this tutorial from Goods Home Design can help you do it!

Use rain gutters to make a hanging herb garden
With some end caps, hooks, and cables, you can set up your gutter garden in no time

Furniture Gardens

Here’s something you don’t always see in a yard. An old dresser repurposed as an herb garden! Although it’s not quite as vertical as some of the other hanging gardens on this list, the drawers still make great little stacked storage areas for growing your herbs. The mirror and frames in this example from Grizzly Bear Modern also add a really neat indoor touch!

Repurpose an old dresser to stack herbs using the drawers
A dresser herb garden works great for limited yard space

Stacked Planter Boxes

Similar to hanging pots along a fence, you could also grab your tools and make your own stacked planter box structure to create a vertical garden that adds a bit of an interesting touch to a fence that looks a bit bland. This one from Home Talk stacks the planter boxes in a checkerboard-inspired pattern.

Build your own planter box structure along a fence

From hanging pots to dresser drawers, there really is an endless amount of ideas you could come up with for building an herb garden that’s both vertical in design and functional. Now you have no excuse to brush up on your gardening skills, even if you have the smallest yard or balcony imaginable!

Elise Moreau

I write for decoist.

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