How To: A DIY Pallet Garden For Apartments With Balconies (Photos)

You should have eight equal length boards.

The boards should all be relatively equal length, within one half inch of each other. If one doesn't quite fit, then mix and match. If you need to make it fit, pound it in with a hammer.

Fit the boards to the bottom of the trays.

By now the metamorphosis is nearly complete. Start lining up nails along the bottom, two for each side is sufficient. Any more and proper drainage could be impeded.

Real DIY'ers reuse nails.

If you don't want to use new nails, then channel the inner DIYer and reuse the old ones. Only a true master should attempt this.

Line the bottom with old pantyhose or gauze, then fill a tray with a small layer of potting soil.

Take an old pair of pantyhose and make one slice down the length of each legging, opening it up and lining the entire inside of each tray with one. Gauze is a cheaper option but it is hard to work with. From here you place a small layer of dirt on the inside.

Obviously it's not totally complete, but you get the idea.

The last step is to start filling the trays with herbs. Pack more potting soil in the space between the herbs to hold them in place. Pro tip: spearmint is an aggressive plant, dedicate an entire tray for it, or else whatever is growing next to it will be overtaken.

Fill all trays, and now you just finished constructing a DIY pallet garden for your balcony. Pat yourself on the back and bust out the Dom Pérignon. This idea is not new, and there are many ways to modify it. Yet, if any personal doubts about completing the project pervade your mind, just remember that it is extremely easy and quite fun to make.

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