How to Build a Vertical Herb Planter From a PVC Pipe

• 4-inch-diameter or larger PVC pipe
• Power drill
• 1-1/4-inch spade drill bit
• A medium or large plant container
• Pea gravel
• Potting soil
• Herb seedlings or small herb plants

Instructions

1.  Cut your PVC pipe to size. PVC pipe is cheaper if you buy longer lengths of it. I recommend doing so and then making numerous vertical herb planters. I cut all my pipes under 5 feet, since a tube taller than 5 feet will probably need some form of irrigation, or else you’re likely to have watering issues.
2. Drill the holes. I used a 1-1/2-inch spade bit, but use what you have. Anything much smaller than 1-1/4 inch, though, will make for a hard time when transplanting seedlings. Make sure you’re wearing protective glasses while doing this. Sometimes, the PVC will chip, and there’ll be little corkscrews of PVC flying all over the place as you drill. Protect your peepers.
3. Place the pipe in your pot and fill the base with about a foot of pea gravel. Use another foot of pea gravel on the outside of the pipe to ensure everything is held in place. Be generous with the gravel; if you don’t add enough, the structure might collapse later.
4. Fill the interior of the pipe with pea gravel, which will provide good drainage for your plants. When you reach one of the drilled holes, add about 6 inches of potting soil.
5. Transplant your plants into the holes. If you drilled with a 1-1/4-inch spade bit, you’ll want to use seedlings in starter trays rather than in pots. You’ll have a much better time getting everything in place that way. Just gently move the seedlings in, and water afterward.

Vertical Herb Planter Tips and Tricks

While the building process is relatively straightforward, you’ll need to know a few other tidbits to get the most from your vertical herb garden.

Use young plants in your vertical herb garden rather than planting seeds in the structure, since seeds are likely to be washed out. Using seedlings will give you a head start without having to worry about your seeds disappearing into the depths of your PVC pipe planter.

I also slightly canted the PVC pipe planter so it would lean against my deck railing. I don’t believe this is necessary, but it helped ensure the seeds I did plant stayed where I wanted them. When I watered, leaning the pipe against the railing helped keep the water in the pipe rather than squirting out the sides about a foot down.

I gave my vertical herb garden only occasional waterings during summer, when it hadn’t rained in three or four days. We get a lot of rain where I live, and I placed my vertical garden on the shady side of the house so I wouldn’t have to worry about everything getting scorched. Take care where you place your vertical garden, keeping in mind that the soil in the pipe’s interior won’t retain as much water as the ground does.

I’d also recommend not letting a 1-year-old watch you pick herbs from your vertical herb planter. They just might copy you by picking entire plants when you’re not looking. Ask me how I know.

PVC Pipe Planter Problems

If you fill your vertical herb planter with potting soil all the way to the top, you may end up with issues. When I tried this, the soil at the top of the pipe retained all the water, while the dirt at the bottom didn’t get any. The plants growing in the pipe’s lower half were soon burnt to a crisp by the sun.

In contrast, if you fill up your entire pipe with pea gravel, you need to know that you won’t be able to start any seeds in the pipe. The seeds will just get washed out. Make sure a lot of nutrient-rich water flows through the pipe. If it doesn’t, your plants won’t be healthy and may very well end up scorched.

And that’s all there is to it! This simple project will allow you to keep fresh herbs within easy reach — and all with far less work than tilling a new patch of soil.

Aden Tate is a writer who enjoys backpacking, playing basketball, and taking pictures of mushrooms deep in the woods. He’s the author of The Faithful Prepper: A Christian’s Perspective on Prepping.