How to Plant Wine Barrel Herb Gardens

If you're lucky enough to live near a wine producing area, you'll probably have access to those wonderful half-barrels that used to store wine, but now make wonderful planters all around your garden. These barrels are especially good for small crops like herbs, and you can place a planter right near the kitchen door so your herbs are fresh and available all the time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Half wine barrels
• Electric drill
• Potting soil
• Herb seeds or plants
• Fertilizer
• Trowel

1. First, place your wine barrels where you'd like them in your garden, because once you fill them with potting soil, they'll be too heavy to move.

2. With your electric drill, drill a few drain holes in the bottom of the wine barrels to allow good drainage for your herbs.

3. Fill the wine barrels with potting soil, and mix in a good all-purpose fertilizer to enrich the soil.

4. Plan your herb plantings before you fill your barrel with herb. Plant tall herbs, like dill, cilantro and parsley in the center, and fill the edges with low, branching herbs like thyme, oregano, and chives.

5. Make sure you leave enough room between each herb so it can spread out and grow.

6. Water your herbs regularly, and harvest them as needed for use in your kitchen. Having fresh herbs available will really make a difference in your recipes, so plant a wine barrel herb garden today. Better yet, plant two!