How to Grow Herbs in a Tub

You can have the convenience of fresh herbs even if you don’t have a big garden to plant them in. A galvanized tub is the perfect container to plant a few of your favorite herbs. In the cooler weather you can even bring the tub in your home and keep the garden going all year long.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Galvanized tub, round or oval
• Drill
• Small bag of rocks
• Leaves/Compost
• Potting soil
• Small herb plants
• Gardening gloves
• Trowel

Grow Herbs in a Galvanized Tub

1. Research what kind of herbs grow well together. It is best to choose plants that have about the same light and water requirements. You also want plants that grow to be around the same height so none of them choke out the other or block light. Or you can also plant them accordingly – tall plants in the back, middle-sized in the middle and small in front. In a tub you can do this in a circular pattern, placing the tallest plants in the middle, the medium plants in the second layer and the shortest plants along the outside edge. Plants that love moist soil and that can be grouped together are basil, cilantro, parsley and tarragon. Some herbs that don’t need as much water are chives, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, bay, marjoram and lavender.

2. Gather all your supplies. Depending on the amount of space you have for your tub you’ll either want a small round tub or a larger oval tub. Get enough plants to fill the tub but leave them plenty of room for them to grow.

3. Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the tub.

4. Layer the bottom of the tub with some small rocks. You do not have to completely cover the bottom; just make some space for water and air circulation. You don’t want to add large rocks or too many rocks as this will make the tub too heavy to move around.

5. Add a layer of leaves or compost over the rocks; this will act as good fertilizer for the herbs.

6. Fill the tub about 3/4 of the way with potting soil.

7. Dig in and add your herbs. When taking the plants out of their store-bought containers gently shake off excess dirt and loosen the roots. Be careful not to rip the roots, you just want to loosen them up so they have room to move in the dirt. Press the soil around the plants, slightly deeper than the dirt line that they were in the previous pot.

8. Water thoroughly. Do your research so you know how often to water them.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make sure your containers have drainage holes; otherwise plants can rot sitting in water too long.
• Invasive plants such as mint should not be planted in containers with other plants, as they'll take over and choke everything else.

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