Gardening with Kids: Herbs at Arms Length

I have a cabinet full of spices and dried herbs. It looks like the spice aisle from the grocery store. Yet when a recipe calls for “fresh rosemary” or “fresh parsley” I sometimes feel like my cabinet lets me down. Dried is good, but fresh is better. What better way to have those fresh herbs ready and at your fingertips than to start your own little herb garden and hang it up right your kitchen? So that is what I did. Try out this great DIY, it’s just another way to start gardening with kids.

You’ll Need

• 2-4 baskets
• hand trowel
• a bag of potting soil
• 2-6 herb plants 1Qt-2Qt size
• 4-8 screw in hooks(two per basket)
• a few handfuls of small-medium sized rocks per basket

Step 1
Fill the bottom of each basket with a few handfuls of small to medium-sized rock. This will help with drainage.

Step 2
Cover the rocks with about an inch of potting soil.

Step 3
Take your plants out of their plastic containers gently and place them in the baskets. If you are placing two smaller plants in the same basket, leave some space between them to add some potting soil.

Step 4
Use your hand trowel to fill in the rest of the basket. Gently tap the sides of the basket to work the potting soil to the bottom.

Step 5
Screw hooks into fence (wall or post). Use two hooks per basket for stronger support.

Step 6
Hang up baskets and give those plants a drink of water.

Step 7
Pluck some fresh herbs and add them to your next meal and the next time you see that “fresh” herb statement on a recipe, you will feel at ease. You’ve got it covered.