Upcycle Old Glass Jars To Create An Indoor Herb Garden On A Dime

Avid foodies and gardeners alike know all about the powerful flavors they get from cooking with fresh herbs, like cilantro, mint, and dill. Most grocery stores stock a variety of them. However, there's a cost-savings that comes with growing your own in a jar herb garden. And fortunately, tabletop herb gardens are among the easiest to grow because they don't require you to conjure up space you don't have nor do they require a lot of care.

The DIY mini garden starts with the jars. Given how ubiquitous they are and their size, it makes sense to use quart-sized Mason jars for this project, but you don't have to. Any jar that's in good condition should work. Your countertop garden will require one jar for each herb plant. Because it's nigh impossible to drill drainage holes in Mason jars, you'll need to provide drainage for your plants another way. In this case, you'll drop about an inch of pebbles in each jar. Potting mix creates a comfortable bed for your herbs to grow in, and of course, you'll need an assortment of herb plants or seeds.

As for the tools required, grab a pair of gardening gloves to help keep your hands clean. You'll also need a small hand shovel to scoop the potting mix out of the bag. It'll help to label each herb, so gather up some craft sticks, along with a pen, so that you can identify the plants with them. Finally, your plants will be a tad thirsty after moving from one home to the next, so keep some water nearby to keep them hydrated.

Mason jars are the ultimate recyclable. They were created with reuse in mind, though most have a shelf life of between 10 and 13 years. This is another one of the reasons it's so economical to use them for the herb garden. You pay for them once and then use them over and over again. However, Mason jars develop some common issues as they get older, such as hairline cracks. All of this is to say that if you're planting your garden in old jars, be sure to check them for any small cracks or blemishes that could ruin your garden or cut your fingers. Once you inspect the jars, give them a rinse to clean out any old debris or molds that might be lingering in the bottom. You can add the potting mix after you inspect the jars.

Speaking of potting mix, it's really the better choice for this project. It's filled with stuff like perlite and peat. These materials tend to hold the water better than some other kinds of soils. As such, potting mix is the better choice for your tabletop garden.

Lastly, if you're planting live plants (as opposed to seeds), you may have to do a little finagling to get the roots (and clumps of dirt that cling to them) into the jar. Loosen the dirt around the roots up a bit so that the roots fit more easily into the jars. Place them gently into the jar and lightly pack dirt around the roots. Water immediately to keep the roots from drying out.

This jar garden works just fine as is. There is no need to make it look fancy. However, it's fun to add some decorative elements to it because it'll likely sit on your countertop, window sill, or table where people can see it. As such, gussying it up to look as good as the herbs are ultimately going to taste makes sense.

One easy way to make this look pretty is to exchange the pebbles on the bottom of the jar for some ocean glass accent gems. (These are sometimes also called floral marbles.) These stylish Dollar Tree items are common vase fillers, and will look right at home in the bottom of a jar, whether it's filled with a bouquet of flowers or a few tasty herbs. These come in a variety of colors ranging from, unsurprisingly, ocean blue-green to completely clear. They offer you a simple way to add spots of color to the herb garden display without much effort.

Of course, it's also possible to fancy up the countertop garden with items like decorative ribbons, old buttons, sequins, and even pretty labels that will help you identify each plant. The Dollar Tree additionally carries an assortment of gift and luggage tags. These look more elaborate and decorative than the standard craft sticks that often serve as plant identifiers. These tags range from mini chalkboards that will clip onto the mouth of the jar to wooden gift tags.