Build a herb wall out of pallets & plant

A herb bed made of pallets can be placed on any balcony, no matter how small: A Euro pallet can be turned into a herb garden in just a few simple steps.

It is not only possible to build seating furniture for the balcony from old pallets: It is even easier to build a space-saving herb bed from a pallet. You can find instructions on how to build your own herb rack and tips on planting correctly here.

Herb wall made of pallets: what are the options?

For all balcony gardeners, a pallet herb bed is the ideal way to have fresh seasonal herbs available at all times without taking up a lot of space. The narrow bed fits on every balcony and also offers an opportunity to give old materials new life. Placed in the right place, it also fulfills the function of a privacy screen. But the herb palette is not only practical: it can also be a great decorative element to beautify a balcony wall. Attached to it with a chain of lights, the herb rack from a palette also creates a cozy atmosphere in the evening.

But you can also place the pallet herb bed in the garden. It is wonderful as a partition between two beds to create some structure. The range of herbs is also good as a visually appealing demarcation of a seating area or another garden area. Or you hide your rubbish bins behind two pallet herb beds placed one on top of the other. So there are many possibilities for a herb bed made of pallets.

Build your own herb shelf from pallets

Building a herbal palette yourself is very easy. Depending on how much fun you have with tinkering and how much time you have, there are different ways to make the herb rack yourself from pallets. Below are some options.

Herb Palette Instructions

Materials:

• One Euro or other pallet
• Grinder and paper
• Thick plastic wrap(e.g. thick garbage bag or pond liner)
• wooden tacker or nails and hammer
• Wood Screws and Drill
• Possibly thin wooden boards in the width of the plant boxes
• Optional: Hammer with claw, pry bar/crowbar or crowbar
• Optional: blackboard paint or foil and chalk

Building pallet herb rack in 6 easy steps:

1. Optionally remove the second and fourth board of the euro pallet with the crowbar or a similar tool. In this way, the herbs later get light from two sides, but the privacy function is then less effective.

2. Sand the boards of the pallet with the sander to avoid someone picking up splinters later.
3. The removed boards or purchased ones serve as a floor for the plant boxes of the herb shelf. Nail or screw these to the pallet's crossbars from below, creating a small box. If you want it to be very precise, saw out small recesses for the feet of the pallet. Otherwise there is a small gap, but that's not too bad.
4. Drill a row of holes in the center of the bottom of the resulting planter to avoid waterlogging.
5. Cut the film to size and line the planter with it. To do this, use a wooden tacker or nails and a hammer. This is important so that the wood does not rot so quickly due to the moisture. Some larger holes should also be pierced in the foil above the wooden holes.
6. Optionally, the front of the planter box can be painted with blackboard paint or covered with blackboard foil. This allows the herb palette to be labeled. Alternatively, you can simply use plant signs that are stuck into the ground.

Just set it up and the pallet herb wall is ready to be filled!

If you're in a hurry: Many hardware stores or online already have ready-made planters that you simply hang into the pallet. In this way, the herb bed from a pallet is ready in less than five minutes.

If you don't feel like screwing: The pallet herb bed is stable enough even without the wooden planter base. But then make sure that you use a tear-resistant plastic film. Also garden fleeceworks well.

Plant the range of herbs correctly

Which herbs are suitable for a herbal palette? There is enough space for most of the typical kitchen herbs.

Tip: With some herbs, it is worth reaching for small varieties, such as rosemary and sage - because these develop into large shrubs and quickly become unhappy in small substrate volumes. Other herbs that grow very tall include borage, comfrey, southernwood, and lemon verbena.

The following must be observed when planting the herb palette:

• The right substrate: Many herbs prefer nutrient-poor and loose soil. These include many of the Mediterranean herbs, such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), sage (Salvia officinalis ) and Spice Lavender (Lavandula latifolia). With its pH value of 6.1 to 6.9, our loose Plantura organic herb and seed soil is ideal for these herbs.
  Others have a higher nutrient requirement. These include Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Peppermint (Mentha ×piperita) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum). These should be supplied with some organic universal fertilizer directly when planting or you can mix in some nutrient-rich soil.

• Select herbs according to the available light: Depending on how sunny the location for the herb bed from pallets is, the herbs should be selected. In our articles you will find out which sun herbs, shade herbs and herbs for the penumbra are available. In general, however, the following applies: The herbs on the top floor of the herb palette usually get the most sun. So: Herbs that are thirsty for light should be planted at the top, those that also tolerate shade should be planted on the lower floor.
• Leave enough space: The soil volume of the pallet herb bed is limited: so do not sow and plant too many herbs in one planter. You should find out beforehand how big the herbs will be and what the recommended spacing is. Potted herbs from the supermarket are shared, so that a planter box is planted with the plants from a supermarket pot - because the plants are always too close together, which promotes diseases.
• Choosing the right neighbors: Some herbs get along well with each other, while others can affect each other negatively. You can take advantage of this by:Plant matching herbs in a planter. In a large table we have summarized which herbs go well together.

• Note the water requirements of different herbs: When planting the range of herbs, pay attention to the water requirements of the herbs. Those with similar water needs should be placed in a planter. The lower boxes probably always get the dripping water from the boxes above through the holes in the bottom of the boxes. Herbs that tolerate a little more moisture are best planted on the lower floors. Clay balls or a layer of pebbles on the bottom of the planters help to prevent backwater.
• The right time to plant: Mediterranean herbs in particular like it warm and should therefore only be planted after the frost period has ended. When sowing herbs, you should pay attention to the information on the seed packet.

Tip: Not only the water, but also the nutrient requirements of herbal plants differ. Hungry herbs such as parsley, chives and basil only grow splendidly with regular fertilization. For these, use a primarily organic complete fertilizer twice a year, such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer, which is particularly environmentally friendly thanks to the use of animal-free raw materials from the food and luxury food industry. Herbs such as thyme, rosemary and lavender, on the other hand, rarely require additional nutrients. However, at some point they also used up the supply of potting soil.

Now nothing stands in the way of your own pallet herb wall! Another way to grow herbs on the balcony is a raised herb bed. Learn in our article how to create a raised bed for herbs and plant them properly.