I have been using chicken feeders in my home decor since the very beginning. I actually sale them in my vintage and antique traveling store. I love the industrial yet farmhouse charm they add to a space. Down the center of farmhouse tables, in a window, on mantels, pretty much anywhere you can find a place to put them. But this spring I introduced a new use for them- HANGING PLANTERS. Although I can't take all the credit for this idea, because a customer bought some from me last year that was going to use them for a hanging garden. So I decided to give it a try and offer this pre-made hanging herb garden to my customers this spring. And they have been a HIT. Now I'm going to show you how to make your very own hanging herb garden.
Materials:
- Chicken Feeder or Metal Trough Style Item (I've actually saw people use metal gutters also)
- Potting Soil
- Variety of Your Favorite Herbs- I love Sweet Mint, Parsley, Cilantro, and Basil just to name a few. I found these really great Biodegradable pot herbs at Lowes. Makes planting easy and it helps the environment- win, win!
- Rope or Chain to Hang the Planter
Tools:
- Drill
- 1/8 or 3.18mm Drill Bit
- Garden Gloves if you don't like getting your hands dirty
How to Make a Hanging Herb Garden Using a Chicken Feeder:
- First you want to drill drainage holes using a 1/8 drill bit down the center of your chicken feeder. I spaced mine every 4-6".
2. Fill your feeder with Potting Soil. It's very important to use potting soil and not garden soil.
3. Get your plant on and plant your herbs. I planted 6 different herbs in a 5' chicken feeder evenly spacing them about 12 inches apart.
4. Water and your done!
You can hang them from your porch or any surface using i-hooks, rope, or chain. Get creative! I would love to see where you hang yours. You just want to make sure whatever you use is strong enough to support the feeder/ feeders. The last thing you want is a herb garden all over the ground. I plan on having Austin construct something on our back deck so I can hang mine up. All we have is railings back there- so I'm thinking some type of metal arch to hold a couple. I will definitely share once this is constructed. Below is a sketch of what I'm thinking. These chicken feeder herb gardens also work perfectly down the center of your outdoor tables. Nothing like have fresh herbs in hands reach at all the family cookouts this summer.
Hope this inspires you to plant your very own little hanging herb garden and add some fresh ingredients to your spring and summer recipes. Or if your like me, having fresh mint on hand for mojitos is always a must in the summer. CHEERS! As always thank you so much for stopping by today and reading my blog. Feel free to leave me a little comment letting me know how you like the idea of a hanging garden. I love hearing from you guys!
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With love,
