Our (continued) indecision about where our vegetable and herb garden should permanently go at our new place means we missed the boat on planting anything this spring (check out our edible gardens of years past here and here). But in an attempt to grow something this year, we’ve come up with a temporary solution. And it involves this galvanized tub:
We figured we’d just do a potted herb garden this year, with only a few “edible essentials” for our kitchen. Which is why we picked up a foursome of local and organically grown herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, and mint) at the farmer’s market this weekend for $12. Speaking of which, you can read more about our trip to the market on BabyCenter today as part of their “Big Day Out” this Saturday.
But back to the tub. It was about $8 at Lowe’s (way cheaper than any planter of that size) and to turn it into our herb pot, we figured it could use some holes for drainage in the bottom. They were a cinch to make with my little cordless drill.
To make them a bit bigger, I also wiggled a big nail around in them too. Oh yeah, and I made the holes in a heart shape. Maybe I was feeling romantic? Maybe I was subliminally professing my love for galvanized tubs? Or it was an ode to the L in YHL? Either way, this photo is about the most any of us will ever see of it.
Update: A few savvy commenters recommended that we test for lead just to be sure it wouldn’t leech into our food if it was randomly present in the metal. We just used one of those $4 Lead Test Sticks from Home Depoton to test the seams, the inside, the outside, the bottom, and even the holes that we drill and it was negative. Whew. So that’s definitely something to test for if you’re not sure how pure your galvanized tin is (and you’re using it for edible herbs)!
Also for drainage, we put a layer of gravel on the bottom (they were leftovers from the patio project). Hopefully they’ll keep the majority of the soil from dripping out of my hidden hole-y heart.
Before adding any dirt, we did a quick “dry run” of the herb placement. The taller guys (basil and parsley) went in the back, and oregano got some special space on the side – since my oregano tends to get bushy. Yeah… not so sure I like the sound of that last sentence.
Of course, if things do well (i.e. grow big and strong) this tin could soon get a bit cramped. But hopefully we’ll achieve “full” and not go as far as “so full it’s bad.” But if so, we can always transplant things into their own larger dedicated pots. You know if anything gets all diva on us. And we’re keeping the mint from spreading like crazy by separating it in a buried pot (a tip we learned a while back at the farmer’s market from a friendly local gardener).
You can see dirt in the bottom of the pic above. That’s some organic potting mix that we snagged at Lowe’s. It was about twice as much as the regular stuff ($10 vs $6, I think) but we figured since we’ll be consuming these plants it was worth going the slightly more natural route (since they were organically grown up to this point).
We usually would use our nutrient rich compost pile, but since moving our DIY compost bins got a little jumbled while we got settled so we don’t appear to have enough “ready” soil to use just yet (aka: things are still breaking down).
Here are the plants all in and soil-ed up:
Since the patio (which also got a bit soil-ed, as you can see) isn’t very sunny, we decided to put the pot on our balcony-to-nowhere (right off of our living room and kitchen). Despite being between two sections of house, it gets a remarkable amount of light – almost the closest thing to full sun that we have on our mostly shaded property. Plus it’s pretty darn convenient to the kitchen.
The beauty of having our herb “garden” potted this year is that we can move it around to test other sun spots if we find that this one isn’t doing the trick (since we’re still trying to wrap our heads around sun patterns here). Heck, it might even help us decide where to put a more permanent garden next year (gotta find that sweet spot). And if we decide to keep this potted version around, it’ll still look good on the larger deck that we plan to build out here eventually. Maybe even as an oversized centerpiece on an outdoor table?
And since no herb garden story is complete with an artsy close-up of your plant labels – here we go!
If you’re wondering, Colonel Oregano is not some weird variety of oregano. It’s just me being weird. I decided it’d be funny to take our simple popsicle stick labels and give them the Clue-character treatment. You know like Miss Scarlet and Colonel Mustard? Here’s my whole cast of made up herbs / suspect names. Yes, I’m what Sherry’s dad likes to call “a strange bird” (he’s also the man trying to single-handedly bring back the term “sick puppy”).
Next year if we decide to grow peppers it will be tough deciding whether to give it the “Sergeant” or “Doctor” title. Though the idea of a Dr. Pepper plant sounds pretty awesome, so maybe I’ve already made my decision.
What are you guys growing this year? Anything sprouting up particularly well or deliciously? Anything not showing as much promise as you’d like? Anything murdering someone in the conservatory with the lead pipe?
Psst- Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Farmer’s Market adventures here on BabyCenter.
Ana Silva says
I always wanted an herb garden and didnt really know where to start. Once again you motivate me to get to work!
Veronica Griffin says
Hey, can I do the same with a tomato plant? Just grow it in a tin that is. I’m having some landscaping done in my backyard and have nowhere to start a garden at the moment : /
YoungHouseLove says
I think if it was deep enough for the roots it would be great! Anyone done it?
xo,
s
Alicia says
Tomatoes grow very well in pots, especially if you buy the patio sized plants (they are literally called patio tomatoes). This tin would not be big enough, but something a bit bigger would certainly work. I have tomatoes, bell peppers and starberries in pots on my patio.
threadbndr says
Get a deep container (at least 12 inches) and some stakes. Water A LOT (tomatoes are water hogs even when grown in the ground and containers are notorious for drying out fast. Maybe put peat in your soil mix to help hold more moisture.)
And maybe chose smaller types of tomatoes – like the cherry ones. The big problem I’ve had with growing tomatoes untraditionally and even in the garden sometimes is that the plants get so topheavy that the wind knocks them over. Stake well!
I’ve done well with the cherry tomatoes in containers, though.
annabelvita says
I’d say yeah, here in the UK loads of people grow tomatoes in really shallow grow-bags (like this http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/tomatoes-grow-bag/)
AndersonG says
I started gardening last year and my tomatoes totally flopped – but not this year! I used what compost I had from the year, but it did not break down all the way! So I miraculously have ended up with a bounty FAR beyond what I planted. There are surprise cucumbers, cantaloupes, and tomatoes ALL over the place! It was a composting mis-hap, but a wonderful surprise! Much luck to your cast! The tub reminds me of a little ship that needs a name – maybe the “Tub-Boat?” Take care you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, the Tub-Boat. I like it.
xo,
s
carly says
I just blogged about our garden that I made my FH build me. I went the go big or go home route, I need to do an updated post because the plants along with the weeds are growing like CRAZY! Check it out http://thehousethatbuiltusstory.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-does-your-garden-grow.html
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo,
s
Steph says
I made a raised bed a few years ago out of some salvaged redwood boards and the mint completely took over! It’s come back for the past 2 years and I don’t even bother trying to plant anything else in there. It’s now my mint garden and I have learned to make mint julips, mint simple syrup, mojitos… LOL I love how it smells!
Heather says
We just finally got our spring/summer garden in…in early June. It was so rainy here before that so we had no choice. I am mercilessly, yet again, trying to grow hot pepper plants – in Maine. I’m a hopelessly optimistic gardner. I have 6 plants, 4 different varieties and I can almost guarantee all but the banana and jalapeno’s will be all head. If I get a chili, even a single one, you will be able to hear me scream with joy all the way down to Richmond. I promise.
Until then, we’re sticking with the regulars around here until it’s time to plant our fall garden with the yummy root veggies. Nothing quite like digging out sweet sweet parsnips from beneath a foot of snow to make sausage and parsnip potato chowder with. :)
Next feat – onto our orchard! I’ve seen a peach tree in Maine bloom. Once. What can I say, I’m a sucker for an agricultural challenge (and yes, I say that like Bill Cosby in this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBTaok3qG0)
Ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
This is a great project because its so versatile! Even renters can use this if they have a balcony with great light! Thanks for sharing!
Meaghan says
Can I just say that I love y’all?! :) And I love Katie Bower, too. In fact, I just got my baby girl’s 9 month pictures back from her- amazing. That kinda makes us connected, right?! :)
Anyhow- let me just tell you, in all of my gardening experience (absolutely none, other than a few sad attempts at herbs that got completely out of control!)- you are gonna need to separate those herbs SOON! I can’t grow much, so I know it doesn’t take much skill, but some herbs grow like crazy! And Quick!! I’ve got basil, parsley, and even cilantro (my favorite herb!!!) this year- but I put them all in separate pots. That was two weeks ago and they are HUGE! I’ll be interested to see how quickly yours grow.
Love the tub, by the way. Have a great day!!!
beth in dc says
One of the best (and cutest!) ideas I’ve seen for growing herbs, lettuce and other sun-loving edibles in small and shade-shifting spaces is to use a little red wagon as a planter. Park the wagon in morning sun, then roll as needed to follow the light. A neighbor grew absolutely great tomatoes this way.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute! And very smart indeed.
xo,
s
Sarah@StyleandCentsability says
That looks great and I love having an herb pot by the house for when I feel very lazy too go out the garden but this year we really went big with our garden- deer & rabbit proof!
Check out our project here
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/diy-deerrabbit-proof-veggie-garden-part-1/
and here
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!
xo,
s
Adriane (aka the greenhorn) says
Ah-ha! So genius (and pretty). I’ve never gardened but *just* posted last night that I think it’s time to start since the “farmer’s markets” in my area leave a bit to be desired.
Hmmmmm, I could see a few rows of those with different plants in each looking nice on a sunny patio. Time to do some Googling!
Kerry says
Last year, instead of labeling the basil we grew in our windowbox, we just put a picture of Basil Exposition (Austin Powers’ mentor/gadget provider from his spy agency) next to the pot. It made us laugh every time we grabbed some!
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious.
xo,
s
Val says
You guys know your way around with tools, so I thought I’d recommend something I’ve seen at the garden center–light meters. They help a lot when trying to locate a full sun spot for a garden in a large yard with lots of trees like yours.
Those herbs will be growing out of the pot soon, but it is a cute idea and inexpensive to boot–and I know you’ll adapt. It is a ton of work, and I won’t sugar coat it–with the house projects, blog, and baby it can be even more tough, but it is SO rewarding to grow your own food. I look forward to seeing your land evolve with the house!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the recommendation! Light meters sound so smart.
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I love this post! I built a raised garden this year and have broccoli, peppers, peas, lettuce, green beans, summer squash and tomoato plants. In a seperate contaier I have basil and oregano. I also purchased a rain barrel for watering everything. I’m curious about your composte bin though. Do you have to move it in doors during the winter? I live in Iowa and it gets pretty darn cold and things freeze or is that part of the nature of composte?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we leave it outside. In the winter months we dump stuff in and try to stir it up but it’s pretty frozen. Sure enough in the spring it thaws and everything start breaking down!
xo,
s
candace @ thecandace.com says
One of my favorites of summer is an herb garden! Yours is very cute – I might do something similar. It’ll be a fun learning tool for Clara as well. I very much enjoyed the Clue references, John!
Heather @ REOlisticRenovation says
The pot garden looks great! Next year you can do annuals or more herbs and put it out by your kitchen or as a centerpiece on a picnic table.
L says
Love the tub and the labels! When you put in your “ground” garden, maybe you can grow the real Col. Mustard — my mustard greens are bolting already, but probably because it is so terribly dry here in GA. They were tasty while they lasted, though.
Thought y’all might feel better for reading this:
“Lead in Garden Soils and Plants
The most serious source of exposure to soil lead is through direct ingestion (eating) of contaminated soil or dust. In general, plants do not absorb or accumulate lead. However, in soils testing high in lead, it is possible for some lead to be taken up. Studies have shown that lead does not readily accumulate in the fruiting parts of vegetable and fruit crops (e.g., corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, strawberries, apples). Higher concentrations are more likely to be found in leafy vegetables (e.g., lettuce) and on the surface of root crops (e.g., carrots).
Since plants do not take up large quantities of soil lead, the lead levels in soil considered safe for plants will be much higher than soil lead levels where eating of soil is a concern (pica). Generally, it has been considered safe to use garden produce grown in soils with total lead levels less than 300 ppm. The risk of lead poisoning through the food chain increases as the soil lead level rises above this concentration. Even at soil levels above 300 ppm, most of the risk is from lead contaminated soil or dust deposits on the plants rather than from uptake of lead by the plant.”
found it at http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG2543.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks L!
xo,
s
CT says
While Dr. Pepper might be pretty cool, what about Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band . . . I’m going to be rocking out to the Beatles all day now!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s why I mentioned Sargeant as a definite contender. It’s a close one!
-John
carolinaheartstrings says
Great idea and it will look so nice when everything grows up and fills out the tub. I planted a chocolate peppermint last year and it is just huge and wonderful. Love the smell when you get near it or touch the leaves. It was a farmer’s market find!
Michele says
We just finished our garden post over at our blog! Can’t wait to start eating some fresh grown veggies. We had tomato, mozzarella, and basil last night with fresh basil from our pots…I felt so domestic going to pick basil from the garden!
Jill says
Nice work on the galvanized container. I just turned my grandma’s antique salt container into a planter by doing the same thing… drilling some holes for drainage! I was so glad to revamp something I couldn’t use in the kitchen. We plant basil (and lots of it), tomatoes (4 kinds), parsley, and jalapenos. I also love having tons of chives and lavender (both of which come back each year). I like to have enough basil to make pesto weekly :-) If you end up with lavender, I have a great recipe for a lavender cosmo!!
Jessica says
Do tell!!! I love lavendar and can never think of anything to use it for….would love to hear your recipe!
Erin says
Very cute little herb planter! Love it.
For future reference, it’s really not necessary (or desirable) to add gravel for drainage. It actually impedes drainage, because water movement slows down every time it transitions to another material. As long as you have lots of holes (which you certainly do), and are using a good container mix (which you are), your drainage will be fine. If anything, since you planted herbs you could have mixed in a little sand, but the organic stuff straight out of the bag is perfect too.
Enjoy those delicious herbs!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Erin! I think we worried all the dirt would run out in the rain. So good to know!
xo,
s
Kelley says
I am not much of a grower; I’m more of a picker. Our family finds different farms that are open to the public and we pick our own produce. It’s a lot of fun, cheaper than the grocery store produce, and saves me from feeling like a total failure because I have the opposite of a green thumb.
Kristen says
I live in a townhouse, so only have a small space to plant things. This year, I invested in two 48-inch long planter boxes, and planted an Early Girl tomato, a Roma, a hybrid Jalepeno Pepper, and basil, flat leaf parsley, chives, cilantro and rosemary.
I made flat bread pizzas last night with my first tomato and fresh basil! NOM NOM NOM!
emily @ the happy home says
i like the phrase “strange bird” but in our house, we say “odd duck”.
Kate says
I spent an hour or so last week digging up mint in the plot next to mine at our community garden. Someone PLANTED mint a couple of years ago – ON PURPOSE! Now it’s everywhere. Grrr. Ajuga is another plant that shouldn’t be planted – invasive, insidious, bad. That was a first-year homeowner mistake that has lived to haunt me, but even then I knew the horror that is mint!
samantha says
Lovely. I also love the side-thumb-suck!
Kate says
We live in the city (one that doesn’t get a lot of sun: Vancouver) in a tiny apartment with a big balcony. We grow lots of veggies on our balcony. Last year we grew four small crops of potatoes. You can see our ‘garden’ here:
http://ladybusiness-kate.blogspot.com/2011/05/little-garden-in-sky.html
It needs an update though since things have grown huge since then! Good luck with your herb garden! You’re lucky to have so much space to grow food in. We’d like to be in a similar situation soon.
YoungHouseLove says
Looks cute!
xo,
s
Cindy says
My hubs built a 4×6 Ana White raised garden bed out of untreated cedar fence pickets.
We squished a lot in there: 3 bush tomato plants; 1 bush cucumber plant; 4 bell pepper plants; green beans and yellow beans; basil; green onions… all surrounded by marigolds that we started from seed so they still haven’t grown enough to protect the veggies from potenial rabbits. Not sure if the green onions are doing so great since we planted them a little late in the season, but the rest of it looks good.
It’s our first garden, and it’s fun to see my 10 y.o. so excited! xo
Krys72599 says
I’m the one with the black thumb in the family but we still have an awesome garden in the side yard, thanks to my hubby. We have several plants of each variety: broccoli, eggplant, grape tomatoes, red cabbage (not quite sure why), basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, onions, scallions, potatoes, and several different peppers.
I got a homework assigment from my husband: find out whether or not broccoli leaves or red cabbage leaves are edible. Some brief visits to my friend the Internet led me to believe they are, although they’re a bit bitter.
So we brought a few leaves in, blanched them then sauteed them with some garlic and olive oil and — drum roll please — it most definitely wasn’t worth the trouble. They were indeed too bitter for us. But we tried!
Blair says
Love the garden idea, I don’t have much space outside so this may be the perfect solution for me!
Thanks for the idea!
~Blair
Laura says
I’ve been growing basil and parsley this spring, in addition to a number of flowers. Basil does remarkably well in Richmond!! Last year, the basil grew so quickly from seed that we had two literal bushes of it by the end of the summer. It was great–I made tons of pesto!
Nik says
Not related to this particular post, but do you guys have a place where you list all of the blogs that you follow? Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
If you click the tab on our sidebar near our smiling faces that says Link Love it’ll list a bunch of blogs that we love!
xo,
s
Suzanne says
hmmm never thought about planting in my galvanized tubs! GREAT idea!
In our little garden we are growing tomatoes (from the local farmers market) and peas dried from last years crop! I’m a little unsure about the peas. First of all I’ve never dried and replanted and I got a late start so they are just now sprouting in June almost July! Hopefully they don’t burn up in the hot summer sun. We’ll see!
Rosemary M. says
Will we be hearing about John’s first fantastic father’s day?? I’m sure we’d all love to know how awesome his day went!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Still have to write about that! Soon I hope…
xo,
s
Jessica says
Second Father’s Day, right??
YoungHouseLove says
Yup – second! It was my first this year but Clara was born before Father’s Day last year so J got a bonus one!
xo,
s
Nancy says
I bet Miss Mint is actually a Colonel herself. I bet she is Kentucky Colonel Mint. mmmm.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right Nancy! I noticed that only after dubbing oregano the Colonel. And I figured one herb garden can’t have two Colonels. Oh well…
-John
Katie Rose says
I am growing pumpkins (again) this year. I strive for just one as they take very long to grow. Last year I managed to get one Lumina(white) and one Cinderella(deep orange/redish) pumpkin: both on the small side. I am also doing tomatoes. Grape this year as I am too impatient to wait for the big ones to grow ;)
I am trying sweet pea plants for the first time this year as well. The first 3 I planted (started in pots, then transferred to the ground) got eaten by bunnies. But I am trying again as they sprout up pretty fast (I’ll put some chicken wire up around them the second time around to ward off creatures). Apparantly they grow better in cooler (60 – 70s) weather though, so I am not sure how plentful the peas will be during the 90+ humid Chicago summer. I might have to wait til September or October before I can enjoy some in my kitchen!
Good luck with your herbs! I am also doing basil and we’ve had mint in our yard for as long as I can remember. Both require very little tending too.
Kristy says
I’ve been meaning to start a little portable garden for a while. This is the perfect inspiration. Thanks!
Alicia says
The strawverries and potatoes in my garden have gone particularly wild this year. Luckily, I love baked potatoes and strawberry shortcake!
aaroohii says
If you have any questions about farming, visit http://www.homefarming.com/ that site is so much fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check it out!
xo,
s
Shunta says
Hey J&S, I have a question, I was telling a friend about the motion sensor for Clara you all use and blogged about and I have it saved on amazon but I wanted to find the blog entry where you guys talked about your top favorite baby items to send to friend who is expecting. I looked under baby and I didn’t see it. Would you mind sending me the link? Thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that link for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/06/something-free-five-lifesavers/
xo,
s
Shunta says
Thanks so much!!
threadbndr says
I vote “Dr. Pepper” for the big sweet bell peppers (since the soda is so sweet) and “Sgt. Pepper” for yellow bananna peppers (“Yellow Submarine” Giggle).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- we’ll have to do both!
xo
s
Amy @ Triangle Honeymoon says
Love anything so handy and portable. Plus you can use that planter year after year. Galvanized tubs are pretty versatile. May have to snag this idea for our basil!
paige @ MCC says
I would put the mint in it’s own plannter. I had a baby patch in my front yard, and it basically killed everything and took over.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the mint suggestions guys! We’ll definitely separate her if she starts to cause trouble. We’ve actually used the exact same containment method (planting it in a pot buried in the dirt) in our garden for the last two years and it hasn’t spread. We’ll have to see how it goes and report back!
xo,
s
Elijah says
We’re looking to make a huge (like 5’x2′ planter bed for our patio next year – I’ll try to share pics when it’s done – but in the meantime, we have pots with tomatoes, strawberries, Swiss chard, cilantro, basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary and mint. The tomatoes just bloomed… I’m so excited!
Kate says
I love your herb pot!! I do have a completely random question and I was hoping that you or your readers could help me out! I need to paint the wood trim along my floors, but there is carpet in that room. I am deathly afraid of getting the carpet covered in trim paint. Do you have any suggestions of what I can use to “tape off” the carpeting? i was thinking newspaper may work, but it is rippable and movable. I was trying to come up with something to slip between the carpet and the trim, but the carpetting is pretty plush. Thanks for your help!! (and the help of other readers!!)
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe a plastic drop cloth taped around the edge? Or newspaper with tape could work too I think. Anyone have ideas?
xo,
s
Kate says
Thanks! do you think a shirt box would be stiff enough to go under the trim, but hold down the carpet?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’m not sure if it would stay under and not pop up but maybe try it and see how it works? Anyone know?
xo,
s
Martha says
I scored 4 free galvanized tubs from a farmer friend who was going to throw them away because the bottom rusted. I thought – drainage holes!
Monika says
The Clue names for the plants are fitting! I approve. :)
Also, on another note, I didn’t see any pictures of Burger at the farmers market. Did he not join you on this big day out?
YoungHouseLove says
He comes with us sometimes (if he’s up and excited) and sometimes he wants to hang back (the guy likes to sleep until noon, so if we’re up really early he couldn’t be bothered). Such a diva! Haha.
xo,
s
Lena says
Love the idea! Maybe this would work on my balcony.. but there’s almost no sunshine on that side of the house. What do you think?
all the best from Germany!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe just get a small pot and one little plant (basil? rosemary?) to see how it does? Good luck!
xo,
s
Rad Design says
I actually JUST posted about my horrible luck with plants. http://raddesigning.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/orchid-you-not/
And my attempt to lose the “black thumb”. Sadly, both plants aren’t doing so well (shhh, my readers dont know yet!) Any good advice? I did a ton of reading up on orchids and the leaves look great but now the buds are droopy :( I also got a green leafy plant that is starting to turn yellow and go droopy too! Maybe i just have a hard time finding the right balance of water and sunlight?!