I love herbs, and growing them indoors is easy. Herbs add a texture, feel and scent to a room or a garden that is unlike any other plant. And, there is nothing like cooking with fresh herbs! But if you are like me, you like to do most things just a little bit different, so we found these DIY indoor herb garden projects and ideas that are just a cut above the usual terra cotta pots. (Not that there is anything wrong with that!) And in case you need a little guidance as well, some advice for which herbs grow well and how to maintain your herb garden indoors. Our featured photo above, is by Intimate Weddings. They have a step by step on creating this teacup herb garden.

Indoor Herb Garden Basics

Herbs generally require full sun, so you need to choose the placement of your herb garden well. A south facing window is ideal. As much bright light as possible is a key to success growing herbs inside, away from their natural environment.

Choose the right kind of herbs. Some herbs, such as basil, can be really tough to grow indoors because they really do need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, which is impossible to achieve in a window. Our favorite herbs to grow indoors include parsley, lemon balm, mint, chives and some varieties of thyme and oregano. The broader the leaf the better they do indoors. Lemon Thyme, or Doone Valley Thyme are favorites. In general, if an herb does well in partial shade outdoors, it will do well in a sunny indoor exposure.

Herbs need good drainage. Make sure you provide well draining soil and pots, and consider using gravel in the bottom for extra drainage. Adding a little grit or sand to the potting mix is great too. If you are using a container that tends to hold moisture, such as glass, use some activated charcoal in the bottom as well. (Sold in the houseplant section.)

Don’t overwater. Wait until the top inch of the soil is dry before watering most indoor plants. Overwatering is the number one killer.

Fertilize weekly with a weak liquid fertilizer for good growth, and remember to cut your herbs and use them! Cutting them back encourages new growth.

Now that you have the basics for growing herbs indoors down, here are some amazing projects we found to create one of a kind herb gardens.

This idea is an easy one…we suggest inserting small pots and liners into the drawers first if the piece you are using has any value…

 

This project is simply old tuna cans (painted if desired), with stained wood clothespins clipped onto the edges of the can. You can get these old style clothespins at the dollar store. See how they did this lovely project over at ‘7th House on the Left’.

 

Old tin cans and chalkboard paint, plus a little chain from the home improvement store…

 

Speaking of chalkboard paint, Breakfast with Audrey has this great tutorial on creating chalkboard herb garden pots. I love this, because you can reuse them each year for new herbs or plants, and the chalkboard gives it a vintage quality…

 

Another teacup herb garden by BHG, that has a more contemporary feel, but still homey…

 

A great way to re-use this kitchen canister!

 

Sweet Paul Magazine has this great idea…Hang pegboard with s-hooks, and plant herbs in just a few of your coffee mugs! This is THE place to use charcoal and gravel in the bottom since they have no natural drainage, but talk about personality for the kitchen!

 

Paul Vitale, who designed the above project for Sweet Paul Magazine, also did this tin can herb garden. He simply attached cans to a piece of wood, then planted them.

 

From Funky Junk Interiors, this old kettle herb garden is a great repuposed project!

Finally, Apartment Therapy brings us this inspiration tea tin herb garden!