One thing I’m really missing this spring season in our basement apartment is the backyard garden at our old house. I know it’s not that big of a deal to go one summer without planting anything but after getting into the ritual of it the last couple of years, it’s something that I grew to love. The entire process was something I savoured – the planning, the prepping, the shopping for supplies, the planting and the tending to – I loved each and everything. Now I will admit that I’m not the greatest gardener but I have learned a lot the last couple of summers and was excited to carry forward what I’ve learned. So this spring, while we’re waiting for our house to be done and living in a basement apartment where we have no yard or patio, I tried to get creative. I decided to try my hand at a little renter-friendly herb garden but I also really wanted to try and create a “living wall” where the small plants are secured on the wall in a spot that gets some sunshine. My goal was to do this without putting any holes in the wall (since this is a short-term rental). Turns out – this was incredibly easy to do and I’m so happy with the finished product!
What You’ll Need:
- 3mm Command Strips w/ metal hook
- Small, lightweight plastic pots
- A drill
- Small potted herbs
Renter-Friendly Herb Garden How-To:
First you’ll want to secure all of the supplies above and decide on the wall you want to hang your herb garden. I choose an empty wall in our kitchen that gets a bit of afternoon sunshine. We then mapped out our plan of action – how far apart we wanted the herbs to be on the wall (consider how much they may grow and account for that). I settled on a staggered pattern just to allow for any growth but I also think it would look great done with the herbs stacked.
I then drilled a small hole about half an inch down from the top of the lightweight plastic pot (I found these ones at Dollarama). After this was done, I put the Command Strips on the wall in the spacing I had previously measured out. Then all you need to do is hang the pots on the Command Strips and slide the small herbs into the plastic pots. I would recommend leaving your herbs in the growers pots and slip that into the plastic pot rather than potting directly into the plastic pot. This way, you can bring the herbs to the sink to water rather than watering directly on the wall. I’ve found this to be a safer option because although the Command Strips could probably bear the weight, somethings the extra water gets a bit heavier than expected. I water in the sink and allow the herbs to drain a bit and then pop them back on the wall.
The herbs I have going this year are: parsley, mint, cilantro, oregano. basil x2, chives.
That’t it! A super easy rental-friendly herb garden DIY. Oh! And I also shared a post on how to maximize a small space over here if you’re wanting more rental-friendly tips and tricks.
