How To Make A Vertical Pallet Herb Garden | Quick Build

When you know How To Make A Vertical Pallet Herb Garden, you can hang fresh herbs on a balcony wall or bare fence without giving up floor space. A vertical pallet herb garden turns one safe pallet into a tidy wall of flavour with basil, thyme, parsley, and more.

This guide walks you through How To Make A Vertical Pallet Herb Garden from pallet choice to planting and care, so the finished project stays sturdy and productive.

Vertical Pallet Herb Garden Benefits And Limits

Before you start cutting and drilling, it helps to know what a pallet herb wall does well and where it falls short so you can avoid dried-out plants or rotting wood.

Aspect	What Works Well	What To Watch
Space	Uses wall or fence space, leaves floor clear for chairs or pots.	Depth is shallow, so large shrubs like rosemary may feel cramped.
Light	Easy to aim the pallet toward the sun or partial shade.	Top row often gets more light and wind than lower pockets.
Watering	Water tends to trickle down through pockets, helping lower herbs.	Top pockets dry out faster; bottom pockets can become soggy.
Cost	One reclaimed pallet and a small bag of screws and soil.	Poor quality pallets can split, warp, or hide nails.
Weight	Light enough to move when empty or freshly built.	Very heavy when wet and filled with soil; needs strong fixings.
Access	Herbs sit at hand height, easy to prune and harvest.	Back row can be hard to reach if pallet is too high.
Durability	Heat treated pallets can last several seasons outdoors.	Untreated softwood breaks down faster in wet climates.

Check Pallet Safety Before You Start

Not every pallet is safe for growing food. Some pallets carry residues from chemicals or spills. Start by choosing a pallet that is sound, clean, and treated in a way that keeps your herbs safe to eat.

Look for an IPPC stamp on the side of the pallet. Pallets marked with an “HT” code were heat treated and not fumigated with chemicals during processing, which makes them far safer for garden use than pallets marked “MB” for methyl bromide. Guidance on safe pallet codes recommends avoiding unmarked pallets and any pallet stamped “MB” because of possible chemical residues.

Skip pallets with strong smells, stains, or paint on the slats. Pick one with tight boards, minimal cracks, and no loose nails so you spend more time planting than repairing.

Tools And Supplies You Will Need

You do not need a full workshop to build a vertical pallet herb garden. A short list of tools and supplies is enough for most builds:

• One heat treated wooden pallet in good condition
• Hammer, crowbar, and pliers for removing extra nails or boards
• Hand saw or circular saw for trimming the pallet
• Drill and wood screws suitable for outdoor use
• Weed control fabric or similar membrane for the pockets
• Staple gun and staples, or corrosion resistant nails
• High quality potting mix with added grit or perlite
• Wall brackets or heavy duty hooks if you plan to hang the pallet
• Selection of herb plants or seedlings

Working outdoors on a flat surface makes the build easier. Wear gloves and eye protection while cutting and pulling nails.

How To Make A Vertical Pallet Herb Garden Step-By-Step

Now you are ready to move from a bare pallet to a vertical herb wall. This section shows how to make a vertical pallet herb garden that feels stable from day one and holds soil where you want it.

Step 1: Prepare And Clean The Pallet

Lay the pallet flat and remove any broken or badly warped slats. Tap down protruding nails and pull out any that cannot be secured. Sand sharp corners and splinters so you can reach through the slats later without cutting your hands.

Decide which side will face the front. Many builders place the slatted side outward so the herbs sit between the slats like shelves. Trim the pallet to size if needed so it fits the wall, balcony, or railing you have in mind.

Step 2: Add Backing Boards Where Needed

Most pallets have gaps between the rear slats. Close the back with extra boards or exterior plywood screwed to the frame, leaving small gaps near the bottom for excess water to escape.

If your pallet already has tight rear boards, cover any gaps wider than a finger with offcuts, then test with a little dry soil. If it stays put, you are ready for fabric.

Step 3: Staple In The Fabric Pockets

Flip the pallet so the back faces up. Cut strips of weed control fabric wide enough to span each row and deep enough to hold about 15 to 20 centimetres of soil, then fold them up the sides to create troughs.

Staple the fabric tightly along the edges and at the corners to form long pockets behind each front slat. When you stand the pallet upright, soil will sit in these troughs instead of leaking out.

Step 4: Fill With A Free-Draining Potting Mix

Herbs in any container hate heavy, waterlogged soil. Many herb specialists recommend a gritty mix with plenty of drainage so roots can breathe. Advice on growing herbs in containers supports using quality potting mix with added grit.

Mix regular peat free potting compost with coarse sand or perlite until it feels light rather than sticky. Tilt the pallet slightly and pour soil into each pocket, shaking it to settle into corners and leaving a little headroom for watering.

Step 5: Plan The Herb Layout

Think about how much sun and water each herb prefers. Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, oregano, and rosemary like full sun and drier pockets, while leafy herbs like basil, parsley, and chives prefer slightly richer, more moist mix.

Place sun loving, drought tolerant herbs at the top row where they receive the most light. Tuck thirstier herbs in the middle rows where they benefit from some shade and runoff. Reserve the lowest row for trailing herbs such as creeping thyme or strawberries if you want them to spill over the edge.

Best Herbs For A Vertical Pallet Herb Garden

Some herbs adapt to shallow pockets and frequent trimming far better than others. Compact plants with fibrous roots and plenty of leaf growth cope well with this style of garden, while deep rooted shrubs struggle in the limited soil depth.

Herb	Sun And Water Needs	Best Pocket Position
Thyme	Full sun, likes dry, well drained mix.	Top or middle row, near edges.
Oregano	Full sun, copes with moderate drought.	Top row, easy to trim often.
Rosemary (dwarf)	Full sun, hates soggy soil.	Top corners with maximum airflow.
Basil	Warmth, sun, steady moisture.	Middle row away from harsh wind.
Parsley	Sun or light shade, regular water.	Middle or lower rows.
Chives	Sun, average moisture.	Any row, near the front for easy snipping.
Mint (in pot)	Sun or partial shade, moist soil.	Keep in a small pot sunk into a pocket.

Mounting And Positioning Your Pallet Herb Garden

Once the pallet is planted, weight increases quickly. A wet pallet garden can weigh as much as a small person, so treat it like a heavy shelf or wall cabinet.

If you plan to lean the pallet against a wall, start it horizontally on the ground for the first couple of weeks so roots can bind the soil. When plants look settled, lift the pallet to an angle, then to full vertical.

For a hung pallet, fix heavy duty brackets or French cleats into solid masonry or secure studs, not just cladding. Use at least two points of contact at the top and one at the base to stop swinging, and avoid hanging a waterlogged pallet on weak railings.

Place the pallet where it receives four to six hours of direct sun for most herbs. In very hot climates, a spot with morning light and light shade later in the day reduces stress and water use.

Watering And Feeding A Vertical Herb Pallet

Pallet gardens dry out faster than deep raised beds, so regular checks matter more than a fixed calendar. In warm weather, test soil in the top pockets with a finger each day and water when the top couple of centimetres feel dry.

Pour water slowly along the top row and watch how it moves through the pockets. Aim to see some water reach the lower rows without streaming straight out the bottom. Many container herb growers note that herbs prefer thorough watering with good drainage rather than constant damp soil.

Use a liquid organic fertiliser at half strength every three to four weeks during the main growing season, pouring it low around the stems instead of over the foliage. Many herbs taste better when they grow steadily but not lush and floppy, so go light on feed.

Keeping Herbs Productive All Season

Regular picking keeps herbs compact and tasty. Cut stems just above a pair of leaves so they branch out and fill the pocket. Avoid stripping more than a third of a plant at once so it can recover well.

Watch for signs of stress such as yellow leaves, weak growth, or sudden wilting after full sun. These often point to water problems rather than pests. Adjust watering first, then check for aphids, whitefly, or mildew and treat with simple methods such as hand removal, a gentle hose blast, or soap spray where suitable for edible plants.

At the end of the season, you can let hardy herbs such as thyme, oregano, and chives stay in place while tender herbs die back. Refresh the top few centimetres of soil in spring, trim dead stems, and your pallet herb garden will be ready for another year of fragrant harvests.