Great idea and tutorial Becky!

This is so cool ... and I sure wish I could make one but I have no space for one; even if I did, our HOA wouldn't allow it where it could be seen from the front or sides of the house. But, I wonder if one could be made as a free-standing unit that I could put on the back deck. The back of our house is right on a waterway and there's not much land between the porch, deck and the water so I'd have to have it on the deck. I think I'm going to print this out and show it to my husband. Our tenants are moving out of our rental house the end of the month and we're hoping they remove the stack of wooden pallets they've got piled in the back driveway. I might just have to confiscate a couple of them! I really love this idea!

A thing of beauty!
At first I was a bit freaked by the words pallet and herbs in the same sentence as I have worked in many warehouses and know how much nasty stuff the pallets are exposed to (don't ask; you don't want to know).

But as you knew the source of the pallets and I think these were custom made out of new wood, I rested more easily and enjoyed the tutorial. When you added the mailbox I was over the moon.

Beautiful and my 'to-do' list just got a bit longer.

Lin - Thank you! I actually saw a photo of a single pallet vertical garden with castor wheels on the bottom so it could be rolled around on the patio for privacy from neighbors or for the best sun or shade exposure for whatever plants were growing in it. If you do make one, please share a photo of it when it is completed! It initially took some work, but it was well worth it now that I have all these fresh herbs I can snip!

Greene - Thanks for the compliments on my herb garden .... and the hand tool mailbox! It was fresh pine wood. I think they were built for one time use. I put two coats of paint on everything, too. And then I made the tarp bags which prevented the potting soil from even touching the sides of the wooden plant boxes. I don't want the plant boxes to rot from damp dirt against them. So any part of the leaves touching the wood is touching double-coated painted wood. We sanded the wood a little and I put two thick coats of paint on everything just to be safe!

Here is a comment link to what the vertical herb garden looks like today:

The thread "This is how the Vertical Herb Garden looks today!" in Vertical Herb Garden

Even sealed and painted re-used White Pine pallets have rotted apart for me in less them two years here in DeLand. I have had good luck with the pallets made from 3/4 inch exterior grade heavy duty ply-board though...

They look beautiful and the concept is genious.

David - Thank you!

You may be right about the white pine pallets. My husband told me that it might not last a very long time, but for FREE .... it was worth it! My biggest expense to make it was paint and the 4" x 4" posts. So if it only lasts a few years, then I more than got my money's worth out of this vertical garden! (I am hoping that since it is off the ground and it gets full sun for most of the day, that it will last at least 3 years!) I plan to repaint it every year to try to keep the wood sealed. I know that wood does not last forever here in humid Florida (or anywhere for that matter). And I also have the satisfaction of slowing down the landfill one piece at a time!

I know that thought well!

Here is an informative article about Pallet Production:

http://wood-pallet.com/the-lum...

And an explanation of why I chose tarp material for the grow-bags ....

To prevent the wood from rotting as long as possible ... the bottom of each plant box was made out of "plastic" trellis material, for support and drainage, not wood. The reason I used "tarp" material rather than landscape fabric or something else for the grow-bags is because I wanted to try to keep all the wood as dry as possible, so no damp soil touching the wood pallets anywhere that I am aware of. I didn't want to go through all the effort of making this vertical garden and not have at least 3 years or more of use!