How-to: DIY Hanging Herb Planter from a Mesh Produce Bag

DIY Herb Planter

We shared a post on growing potatoes in a barrel from our pals at Green Upgrader over on our Facebook page not too long ago, and lots of you piped up to tell us about your gardening adventures! I love a good DIY garden hack, too, and since it turns out we have lots of crafty gardenistas out there, I thought I’d share my latest gardening experiment with you.

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the joys of container gardening. Whether you have a small space or a big back yard, it’s fun to grow food and herbs in containers. If you’re gardening outdoors, a container keeps weeds and even some pests at bay, and indoors it’s one of the only options for growing your own food. Another way to maximize your gardening space is to go vertical. You only have so much square footage, so taking advantage of the space on your walls, fence, or balcony railing means you can plant more with less space.

When I bought a bag of tangerines not too long ago, I couldn’t bear to toss the plastic mesh bag that they came in. It’s plastic, and it was just begging to be reused somehow. I hit my fabric stash for some heavy organic hemp and combined it with the tangerine bag to make a hanging herb planter. Here’s how you can make your own!

Materials

  • mesh produce bag
  • fabric – how much depends on the size of your produce bag, but you do want a heavy weight, organic fabric that’s either dyed with vegetables or not dyed at all.
  • sewing machine and thread
  • twine
  • potting soil
  • herb plant of your choice

Directions

1. Flatten your produce bag out, and measure the length and width. You’ll want to cut two pieces of fabric that are to 1″ wider and 1″ taller than the bag. For example, my bag was 10.5″ X 11.5″, so I cut my two pieces of fabric to 11.5″ X 12.5″.

2. Iron your fabric, then pin it wrong sides together.

3. Sew around 3 edges, leaving the top open, then flip your bag so it’s right side out. Fold the unfinished edge down (into the bag, so it won’t be visible) by 1/2″, and sew around wish a zig zag stitch to secure it. At the top of the bag in the center of one piece of the fabric, sew yourself a small button hole.

button hole placement

4. Fit the fabric bag inside of the produce bag, then use your machine to sew around the top (below the button hole) to secure them together.

5. Use a small pair of scissors or your seam ripper to cut a hole in the produce bag where your button hole is.

opening button hole

6. Use the twine to tie your planter to your fence. If your fence is wood instead of chain link, you can hang it from a nail or a hook instead.

7. Fill your bag with potting soil, plant your herb of choice, and you’re all ready to go!

DIY Hanging Planter

1 thought on “How-to: DIY Hanging Herb Planter from a Mesh Produce Bag”

  1. Pingback: Recycled Hanging Herb Planter | Glue and Glitter

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