How To Make Indoor Herb Garden Planters From Denim

I’m not very good at growing herbs so I cheat and buy the pots of fresh herbs from the supermarket. This week I made vertical indoor herb garden planters out of denim for these pots of herbs.

The herbs now hang vertically next to the cooker so they are handy to reach when cooking. I love to just grab a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) and bung it into a pot of freshly cooked curry.

Repurposed Jeans Into Indoor Herb Garden Planters

As well as looking good, the herbs in these handmade planters last longer. That is because they are double potted which allows for easier watering and drainage. Just like the Marimekko plastic bottle herb planters I made.

For now, I’ve made planters for 3 of my most used herbs, coriander (cilantro), flat-leaved parsley and basil. In the summer I will need to add another pot just for mint for all the pitchers of Pimms and Mojitos I love to drink when the suns shining.

These indoor planters featured in the A to Z of denim upcycles.

We’re a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What You Need To Make Herb Planters

• Denim legs – I made 3 planters so I used the bottom of three jeans legs.
• 3 denim belt loops, one for each herb planter
• 3 large plastic soda bottles

• Needle and thread
• A strip of white cotton fabric or ribbon
• Letter stamps and black ink
• Fabric glue
• A strip of pallet wood and dark wood wax
• Three hooks – I used some painted ceramic hooks that I already had.

How To Make Indoor Herb Garden Planters

1.. First, using scissors cut the bottom off the soda bottles. So you end up with a cup approximately 15cm (6″) high.

2. Next, to make the denim herb pockets, cut the bottom off a jeans leg. Make sure they are about 1″ longer than the cut soda bottle. Turn this inside out. Cut the bottom corners to make it more rounded. Then stitch up the bottom (this can be done by hand or even glued if you don’t like sewing).

Turn the denim pouch right side out and then stitch a belt loop from the jeans to the back. Finally, place the soda bottle bottom into the pouch.

3. Then, to add a bit more interest to the denim pouches make some herb labels. Stamp the names of herbs onto a strip of white fabric. Then cut these labels out and glue them to the front of each denim pouch.

Top tip: If you don’t have a letter stamp set you can just write the names of the herbs onto the fabric with a Sharpie.

4. Next, place the supermarket herb pots inside the plastic bottle cutouts and then into the denim pockets. As the pots sit in the soda bottles they can be easily watered and the excess water has somewhere to drain.

5. Finally, I make a simple hanging post for the indoor herb garden planters. Sand and wax a plank of old pallet wood. Then, screw 3 hooks into the wood one for each herb pot. This was a verticle indoor herb garden that can then simply be screwed to the wall in the kitchen.

Haveing the herb names stamped on the outside has proved to be useful. I may know my flat leaf parsley from my corriander (cillantro) but my husband and kids don’t have a clue. It’s actually been a bit of an education for them..

Hanging Herb Garden

The only reason I hung my indoor herb garden planters vertically was that I had the perfect strip of wall for them in my kitchen, between the door and the cooker. It is so easy to turn the plank around and have a horizontal denim herb planters, if that’s what you need for your space.

Whichever way you hang them, not only is it handy having the herbs to hand they do make the kitchen look more organic. Plus I find my supermarket potted herbs last that bit longer, as they are now double potted which helps with the watering and drainage.

If you asked for cilantro over here in England most people wouldn’t know what you were talking about. That’s because we call it coriander. As far as I know, I think that’s the only herb we have a different name from the US. Let me know if you think there is another one.

I love to repurpose my old denim and have loads of ideas of what you can make from an old pair of jeans some of which don’t involve sewing. I’ve made some hanging denim storage baskets similar to these herb planters. The jeans pockets can also be used to making hanging storage as well as the legs.

 This isn’t the only herb garden I’ve made. You might want to check out my upcycled window herb planter.

Or if you are looking for more ideas for the Kitchen there are some great tips on how to organize your pantry here.