How I found myself in the rebar aisle!

Do you use herbs in your cooking?  This DIY herb garden might be just the thing to add to your summer patio.  I love the fragrances and find myself picking a leaf or two, or just rubbing my fingers on some of my lovely herbs when passing by.  I like using terra cotta on my patio and chose to build a vertical garden  with them for my herbs.

Make a patio herb gardenSo, here I was in the rebar aisle at Lowes, but behold, I found something better than a piece of rebar to begin my project!  Make a patio herb gardenThis is the important thing I found and I wanted to make sure you knew what it is, so I took this picture of the label.  This is a 36″ steel stake that has holes in it.  I couldn’t find anything similar at Home Depot.  Please excuse the dirty hand and nails (that I tried to hide with my watermark), I was planting, and not using gloves like I should!  DIY PATIO HERB GARDENNearby in the aisle where the rebar was I found Quikrete, Fast-Setting concrete mix.  Make a patio herb gardenI gathered my Quikcrete, a terra cotta pot and my steel pole.  DIY PATIO HERB GARDENI assembled my terra cotta pots.  I used one 14″ x 12″, one 10″ x 9″ three 6″ x 5 1/2″ and one 41/2″ x 41/2″.  I began with my 9″ (tall) by 10″ (across) pot using duct tape on both sides of the drainage hole of the pot to seal it before mixing the concrete.DIY PATIO HERB GARDENI mixed the concrete mix with water directly in the flower pot and stuck the black steel pole right in the middle.DIY PATIO HERB GARDENI used a level against the pole to make sure it was straight.DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

I then used boards against the steel pole to make sure it remained straight until the concrete set up.  It only took about 15 minutes until the concrete was set up enough to remove the boards.  DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

Here is my pot with the cemented post in it and the largest of the pots.

DIY PATIO HERB GARDENI simply set the cemented pot down inside the larger pot and then began to add dirt all around the smaller pot and filled in on top with potting soil.DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

It was time to start planting!  I planted the herbs around the edge of the smaller pot and on top of the concrete in that pot.  Make sure you don’t fill the inside pot more than 3/4 full of concrete so you have some space to plant on top of the concrete.  DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

Next step was to put a common nail (one with a head to it, so it won’t slip through) through one of the holes in the steel pole.

DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

I slipped a flower pot over the steel pole and it rested on the nail.  The pots rest securely on the nail pushed through the holes on the pole. DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

I planted the smaller pot and then went about repeating this two more times, each pot planted with a different herb.  You can tilt your pots for a jaunty look like I did, or set them straight for a more uniform look.  DIY PATIO HERB GARDEN

When I appeared to be finished, I added my tiny pot on top on which I had lettered “herb garden”.  All I have to do now is keep it watered in the Florida heat and enjoy taking advantage of having my fresh herbs right on my patio!  I will be sharing a live demonstration of this on Facebook Live for Hometalk on Friday, April 28th at 1 PM ET!  If you have any questions you can ask in the comments here, or tune in on Friday and ask!

I’ll be sharing this at the following link party:  The Scoop 

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11 Comments

    1. Thanks Carole, I feel like I am really settling into this house after two years and it is time for some outdoor stuff! It seems like everyday has been windy down here and we REALLY need rain.

  1. Yes, we do need rain. What happened to “April showers bring May flowers” in Florida ? Record heat today.
    Love the stacked pots. I made a floral arrangement with Kuikrete in the flower pot and a giant sunflower. After the cats jumped on it a few times, it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I have to go back and put that spray foam in the center to stabilize it. Wonder how it would work with your idea ?

    1. We have finally gotten our rain! Everything is nice and green again. I think I would just add more concrete for stabilizing instead of the spray foam. Good luck!

  2. How ambitious and so clever. Wonderful way to build tower for plants in one spot. And how pretty it looks instead of bunch of pots sitting on ground, quite decorative. I can never leave things alone, have to figure out way to make things look more decorative/attractive. Will pin this so I don’t forget. If we build one will have to prop/secure it against wall or our wind will knock it over in a second. This Spring we had 90 mile an hour winds out here.
    Had just put up gazebo on back deck day before, were so worried wind would rip gazebo off deck. Sure did # on our shades we’d hung on it. When I hang laundry have to put several clothes pins on whatever I hang out.
    We live in western CO few miles west of Grand Junction, out in rural area. Windy and very dusty here.
    Enjoy rest of your week

    1. Oh wow, we have wind here in Florida, but nothing like it sounds like you have. This is really heavy, if you want to make it, use an extra large pot on the bottom. With that filled with the concrete you will likely be safe.

  3. I love this ide! We are full time RV’ers, and I think I could do this and move it each time we go to another place. Thanks for sharing!

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