DIY vertical herb planter from plastic bottles

Short on floor space but have a sunny railing or wall? A column of upcycled bottles gives you a small kitchen herb garden and keeps plastic out of the bin.

Materials

• 4–6 clear or green two-litre plastic bottles with caps
• Strong nylon cord or thin wire, about 4 metres
• A craft knife and a heated skewer or small drill bit
• Potting mix with extra compost
• Herb seedlings: mint, coriander, basil, tulsi, spring onion or lemongrass

Making the planter

1. Clean the bottles and remove the labels.
2. Cut a window. Lay each bottle on its side and cut a rectangle about 12 × 8 cm out of the upper side. This is where the plant goes.
3. Make drainage holes. Use the heated skewer to make four or five small holes on the underside, opposite the window.
4. Thread the cord. Make a hole through both ends of each bottle, just above the window, and thread two lengths of cord through all the bottles, knotting under each one so they hang about 25 cm apart.
5. Hang it. Tie the top of the cords firmly to the railing or a hook. The water that drains from one bottle falls into the next, so the lowest bottle collects the extra; empty it now and then.
6. Fill and plant. Add potting mix to each bottle, plant one herb per bottle and water gently.

Growing tips

• Place the thirstiest herbs, such as mint, at the bottom and those that like to dry out, such as tulsi, at the top.
• Small containers dry quickly. In hot weather check them every morning.
• Feed with diluted liquid seaweed or compost tea every two weeks.
• Pinch the tips of basil and tulsi regularly to keep them bushy and stop them flowering too early.

Clear bottles let light reach the roots, which can encourage algae; wrap them in newspaper or paint the outside if you see green growth inside.