DIY Wooden Herb Box || Easy To Do In A Day

This DIY wooden herb box is easy to do in a day. The box itself can be assembled in just an hour, but it will take a bit more time than that to apply the finish to it.

You will find that the reward of owning an herb box far outwieghs the effort that it takes to build one.

There is nothing like fresh herbs, they make every dish better! You will find yourself cooking with them every day.

Fresh herbs are one of those things that can take time for people to adjust to using in their kitchen, but the effort is well worth the payoff. If you take the time to develop the skill of using fresh herbs in your dishes, you will NEVER want to go back to cooking with dried herbs again.

This handy little herb box will provide you with an abundant supply of up to 3 common kitchen herbs. And you can use it to grow lettuce, leafy greens, and microgreens as well.

With those two things, in mind you might want to consider doubling up on supplies when you go shopping so that you can build two boxes at once. That way you can have both herbs and greens growing in no time at all.

What supplies do I need to make a DIY wooden herb box?

All of the supplies needed to complete this DIY wooden herb box are readily available at your local hardware store.

If you make a list of those you don’t already have on hand, and head off to the store, you can pick them all up in one trip.

The following list of supplies will give you enough material to build one 9″ x 24″ x 10 1/2″ herb box. Building a box this size will provide you with the ideal environment to grow 3 healthy herb plants.

Tools needed:

• circular saw, table saw, or hand saw
• power drill and phillips head drill bit
• staple gun and 1/2″ staples

Supplies needed:

• 2 – 1″ x 5″ x 8′ boards, not treated, and cut to the following lengths …
  • 2 – 22 1/2″
  • 4 – 24″
  • 4 – 9 1/2″
• 120 grit sandpaper
• 6 – 1/2″ x 2″ mending braces with screws
• 24 – 1 1/4″ phillips head wood screws
• landscape fabric
• gravel/stones
• potting soil

Optional supplies:

• 8 oz mineral oil
• soft, lint free cloth
• letter stencils
• craft paint (your choice of color)
• small artists paint brush
• plant markers

How to make a DIY wooden herb box

The size of your box matters

The box in this tutorial measures 9″ high x 24″ wide x 10 1/2″ deep when completed. This size box will provide an environment that allows ample room for your herb plants to thrive. And healthy herb plants mean abundant harvests.

There are many tutorials available online that provide instructions for building boxes which are not as deep or as wide as this one. Building a box with smaller dimensions will stunt the growth of your herbs and should be avoided.

You should only plant a maximum of 3 herbs in one box. And make sure that the plants you choose to plant in it grow well together.

Be certain that you are not choosing herbs which do not thrive in a container environment. There are several herbs which are much too large to thrive in a container this small. Dill is the perfect example of this.

Choosing a liner for your herb box

Plastic is likely the least expensive way to line your herb box, and this makes it a very tempting choice. However, using plastic will make your herbs very unhappy because they do not like wet feet, and it will hold moisture in.

It is best to use a landscape material to line your herb box. This will promote good drainage and keep the dirt from falling through the bottom of the box. However, it is difficult to purchase landscape fabric in small quantities so you can substitute a different material if it works better for you.

Cotton, muslin, or linen cloth are all good choices for lining your wooden planter. I used a white muslin cloth.

Basic outline of steps to build a DIY wooden herb box

There is a full, ready to print tutorial on how to make a wooden herb box available at the end of this post. It is nice to have a print copy on hand when you are working.

In the interest of sharing just how easy it is to do, the following 13 steps sum it up quite nicely …

1. Cut wood to size
2. Sand the ends of each individual board
3. Stencil the front boards of the box, if desired
4. Apply mineral oil to each of the wood pieces and allow to sit for 24 hours
5. Remove excess oil from the boards
6. Brace the sides and ends of the box with mending plates
7. Screw the end boards to the bottom boards
8. Screw the front and back panels to the end boards
9. Line the box with landscape fabric
10. Fill the bottom of the box with gravel/stone
11. Fill the remainder of the box with potting soil
12. Plant herbs in the box
13. Insert plant markers next to each herb plant, if desired

Putting a finish on your DIY wooden herb box

Avoid choosing toxic materials, such as paint, varnish, and stain when deciding on a finish for the exterior of your herb box. These materials contain high levels of toxins which are unhealthy for humans, animals, and the environment, including your herbs of course.

These toxins will seep into the soil inside the box, where they will contaminate it. Thereby resulting in contamination of the plants themselves.

This can effect the health of your plants and, because you will be consuming them, your own health as well. Consuming food products which carry toxins can cause the human body to suffer from a large variety of health issues.

You can safely extend the life of your herb box by treating it with mineral oil. This is a food safe oil often used to treat cutting boards and butcher block tables.

You can opt to use raw linseed oil or 100% pure tung oil to finish your herb box as well. These options can take quite some time to apply and they are a bit more expensive. The finish they provide has more depth which makes them more aesthetically pleasing choices, if you are willing to invest the time and money in them.

Planting your DIY wooden herb box

After you have built your herb box and lined it with landscape fabric, you can start planting your herbs.

Place a 3-4 inch layer of gravel/stone in the bottom of the box.

Choosing gravel/stone for your box:

If you have access to a clean woodland or a river bed, where you can harvest small stones for your herb box, this would be the least expensive way to obtain this material.

It is important to note that the material you harvest may be contaminated or carry undesirable bio matter on it. If you are not willing to risk this it is best to visit your local garden center and speak with someone there about what they have that will suit your needs.

I chose to gather my stone from a local river bed. I did wash it well and I soaked it in some hydrogen peroxide. But I know this doesn’t completely eliminate the risks of contamination.

Choosing soil for your box:

The next step to planting your herb box is to add the potting soil. There are a variety of ready made, organic options available at most local garden centers.

Avoid purchasing the cheapest product available and do not purchase plain top soil. Both of these choices will be much too dense to provide the environment that herbs need to thrive.

Herbs like a light loomy soil and they are not heavy feeders. Choose a soil with additives such as sand, vermiculite, or peat moss. And avoid super soils, which are heavily laden with nutrients intended to feed a plant for an entire season.

After you’ve topped off the box with potting soil. you will be ready to plant your herbs. Pick up a few different kinds of seeds or grab a few small plant starts at your garden center and place them in the box.

Your herbs are going to LOVE the home you’ve created for them. They will have ample room, appropriately airy soil, and dry feet. These are all of the things an herb craves most in life!

The only thing left for you to do is water them regularly and perhaps offer them a light food source a few times a year.

Labeling your herb box

Labeling the plants in your herb box can be done as simply or as elegantly as you choose.

You can pick up a few fancy plant markers online or at your local garden center. You can make a very nice plant marker yourself if you are crafty, or you can simply write the name of your herbs on an old popsicle stick and push it into the dirt next to your plant.

PRO TIP:

Plant rosemary, oregano, and thyme in your herb box and you will have the perfect spice blend to make an amazing red sauce for pasta! YUMMY!

Use that red sauce to top a fresh batch of handmade pan fried gnocchi and you’re in for a real treat!

PRO TIP II:

Bring your DIY wooden herb box indoors for the winter and you will have fresh herbs all year long. Can you just imagine clipping fresh herbs for your dinner on a cold, snowy January day?

It’s truly delightful. It really is!

Meet me in the comments and let me know if you use fresh herbs in your kitchen? Or if you are chomping at the bit to dip your toes into the world of cooking with fresh herbs?

I’d love to hear all about it!

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If you try this project and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

You can also show your support by tagging me on Facebook @sustainableslowliving and/or Instagram @slowlivingbydianegail when you post a pic of your finished piece.