Learn how to create your own kitchen herb garden using recycled coffee tin cans. This step-by-step guide will help you grow fresh, flavorful herbs right in your own backyard with a unique upcycled twist!

As a Fusion and Amazon Influencer, this post contains affiliate links in which I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.  If you shop Fusion Mineral Paint products through this post, you will get 10% off. Thank-you for helping to support my blog!

I’ve always wanted to grow a complete herb garden.

The upcycled vegetable garden I planted this year is doing fabulous! I even successfully started the peppers in the cold frame I made from an old window! However a full range of herbs rather than just one or two has always been the ultimate goal.

View how to stencil these adorable garden labels HERE

How to make garden labels on cedar strips

 

Two summers ago, I was gifted a parsley plant, so I played around with growing just parsley as a perennial herb (on the left) to the point of even leaving it in the ground during winter. I was quite surprised that it comes back in full force each year with a vengeance! So that’s really cool!

And even managed to make the cutest garden labels!

---

Video tutorial – garden labels

 

View above to watch a short video on how to stencil easy garden labels!

---

However I’ve always wanted a few more herbs for a broader selection when I cook. I’ve been adding fresh basil to my ground beef meals and the flavours positively pop in comparison to dried herbs! There is just nothing quite like the vibrant taste only a fresh herb can offer!

So when Hometalk challenged me to create a herb garden in tin cans, I jumped at it! But with a very upcycled and somewhat unique twist…

While most paint over the cans for a more uniformed look, I ventured in another direction, embracing a true blue upcycled look using coffee can labels intact!

With the end result being such a FUN, unexpected addition to a garden fence! Plus, the herbs are thriving!

This simple project may seem like a full tutorial isn’t really required, however I do have some helpful tips to share to ensure your own upcycled herb garden is a complete success like mine apparently is!

Here’s what I did to grow my own fresh herbs right in my own backyard… upcycled-style!

How to grow a herb garden in coffee tin cans

 

What you’ll need:

 

A collection of larger tin coffee cans (a small container from soup is a little too small)

(some of these cans are the cardboard variety and are still doing well!)

Thick #10 nail and hammer

Rocks for drainage

Quality container soil with some kind of added compost

I started with herb container plants from a nursery, however herb seeds can also be started with seed if early enough

To make a Herbs sign:

 

Locally Grown Herbs stencil

Small piece of reclaimed wood (mine measures 5.25″ x 14″)

Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black (get 10% off)

Dome tipped stencil brush

Thin twine

How to choose the right kind of can

 

1. Collect various food-safe cans sized larger than a small soup can size.

I put a call out to my own neighbourhood for any larger tin cans. As luck would have it, all the tin cans that came my way were coffee cans! So I decided to embrace the theme and run with the coffee label look.

Coffee cans are a safe option since they were made to be food-grade. I even used some coffee cans that have cardboard-type sides and they are surprisingly doing really well outdoors!

I did try some small soup cans however found the herbs dried out too quickly in them and have since pulled them down.

Preparing the tin cans for herb plants

 

2. Punch drainage holes into the bottom of each tin can.

Using a thick #10 nail and hammer, I pounded a few holes into the bottom of all the tin cans so they could drain properly.

3. Punch one hanging hole near the top-back end of each can.

I positioned the can on a scrap wood piece, then used the hammer and nail to create one hole in each can along the back-top.

4. Place a layer of different sized rocks over top of the drainage holes inside the can.

Most of the rocks I used were on the smaller side since I didn’t want them taking up too much growing space nor get too heavy.

How to plant herbs in cans

 

5. Place a shallow layer of container soil on top of the rocks.

6. Water the herbs well, then remove them from their small pots, pulling apart the roots ever so slightly.

Even though these herbs were planted in compostable pots, I cut the sides, then pulled off the bottoms and loosened up the roots abit to ensure they had the ability to travel for water immediately.

7. Position the herb plant inside the can on top of the soil, then check height to ensure the herb sits at the right level.

8. Add soil around the outside of the herb, leaving some space on top for water to pool to avoid a messy overflow.

9. Choose a spot in your garden where there is partial shade and not full sun, so the herb cans don’t dry out too quickly.

This makes a BIG difference. I’ve yet to find the herbs to completely dry out, so the partial shade indeed helps. Plus there’s plenty of new growth so I know I chose well!

Mounting the cans to a fence

 

10. Mount the cans on a garden fence by placing a screw inside the back hole of the can, then drilling it to the fence.

• I used the spool potting bench as the main start to the cans, then staggered them on the fence in a floating-to-the-left arrangement.
• Make sure they are positioned low enough to easily water and pinch from when needed.

11. Water each herb can to test out the drain holes.

Caring for your own herbs

 

12. Keep the soil slightly most, never bone-dry, especially if there’s much sun. They have been thriving even when raining giving them excess water. The drain holes are key.

13. Should the herbs begin to struggle, check to see if they need larger cans or transplanting.

I plan to keep mine fairly picked, so hopefully that will help maintain the can size requirement. However so far, the herbs are thriving and not drying out easily, so they are currently happy!

Late summer when the herbs are finished, I plan to transplant them into the cold frame to see if they will winter.

Harvesting herbs

 

Pinch the herb leaves when needed. If there’s lots of new growth, you can even pinch the stems, then dry in bunches in a dry place for future use. Pinching hard will also encourage more bushy growth.

Best time to plant herbs

 

Early spring may be a little early to plant them straight outdoors. I waited until late spring. I also have a cold frame I can use for a wind break if planting earlier. 

Herb cans hung on a wood garden fence

 

Aren’t they the cutest?!

I was tempted to paint the cans at first, but when I noticed all the cans were coffee and the labels all coordinated in green and blue, I just couldn’t! I love signs and labels so I decided to embrace the branded look, which I think adds a special decorative twist to your garden space!

View spool potting bench tutorial HERE

Building a reclaimed wood fence is HERE

Herb coffee cans arranged with coffee pots

 

And since all the tins ended up being coffee themed, I gathered up a few antique coffee pots from my collection, and staged them on the spool potting bench and the odd one hanging on the fence to complete the look!

I was tempted to create hanging garden labels like I made HERE, however since the original labels that came with the herbs were also green and blue, I embraced those too!

And of course, a herb garden couldn’t be complete with some kind of Herbs sign!

So I quickly stenciled a very simple Locally Grown Herbs stencil sign onto scrap wood, then mounted it onto the wood spool potting bench.

View Locally Grown Herbs stencil HERE

How to make a simple Herbs garden sign 

 

1. Position the Locally Grown Herbs Picked Daily stencil onto a piece of reclaimed wood (mine is 5.25″ x 14″) to ensure it fits.
2. Coat part of the sign in white paint, leaving each side raw wood.
3. Stencil the words desired on top of the white paint using Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black (get 10% off) to get this look.
4. Wind some thin twine around each side of the sign for a little more rustic detail.
5. Mount the sign where desired. 

The coffee herb cans were hung with random positioning as if they were floating up from the table towards the left side towards the top of the fence. They still tie into the table yet offer some added whimsy to the rest of the fence this way too!

When I wander the yard, I love to slightly press the leaves, then sniff the aromas. I get hungry for homemade soup each time! 

Curious about which herbs I planted? Here’s a list:

Here’s the list of herbs I purchased:

 

• Mint (peppermint)
• Spearmint
• Rosemary
• Oregano

I already had parsley, chives, dill and cilantro growing in other areas and just added basil in another larger pot as I plan to grow that variety really large.

Isn’t that look fun though?! I think it adds a Kihei vibe to this garden space, so I smile whenever I look at them! Such great memories…

Take a tour of a Maui flea market HERE

If you’ve ever been to Kihei Maui, you can always find Spam tin planters filled with succulents in lots of places. They really embrace the look and this reminds me of being back on vacation!

Anyway, I’ll just embrace the Aloha Maui spirit with my own quaint little coffee tin can herb garden for absolutely free every day! LOVE the look, and I honestly cannot wait to experiment with a few of these new-to-me herbs in my cooking this summer! 

Did you plant any herbs this summer? What are your favs and how do you love to use them? I could use a few tips!

Other unique and easy garden projects to make:

 

Creative upcycled container vegetable garden for spaces you can’t plant in

How to build a simple raised garden bed planter for tomatoes… for free!

Create a garden-themed wooden walkway with scrap wood

Cable reel potting bench

Visit many other unique outdoor projects HERE