We have a fun project anyone can do to keep herbs available all year long and re-use the very box your coconut bowls or eco-friendly products came in.
We love the idea of turning something used and giving it new life with a value added purpose. I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s very gratifying to take an ordinary household item like a Coconutsy cardboard box and turn it into herb planters.
To make a herb garden from your coconut bowl delivery box follow these steps:
- Tape up the open end of the carton as securely as possible.
- Cut off one long side of the carton, being careful not to cut down into the side of what will be your planter box.
- Make six small holes in the bottom of the box for water drainage, two at both ends and two in the middle
- Now fill the box with potting mix up to 1 to 2 cm from the top. It is important to leave this space so that you can water your seeds without the water spilling out.
- Place your box in a tray
- Plant the seeds of three or four different herb in your planter box. Space your plants so they have room to grow.
- Sprinkle the seeds with potting mix and firm them down gently. Garlic cloves should be planted so that their pointy end is upwards and with 2 cm of soil covering them. Plant two or three cloves.
- You can use the side that you cut off the carton to make planter tags. Cut strips of card with a point at one end. Write the name of each herb you have planted on the card and push the pointy end into the soil next to the seeds. Now you will remember which seeds are which.
- Next, spray the soil with water, making sure you have soaked the potting mix well. Do not let the soil dry out while you are waiting for the seeds to germinate. Seedlings usually appear in 10 to 12 days and must be kept moist.
Herbs enjoy quite a lot of sun and once your seedlings have grown to 4 cm you can shift them to a sunnier position. Herbs are not indoor plants and will not flourish inside.
You can help them to grow faster and stronger by feeding them with a liquid fertiliser such as worm castings in water or diluted fish emulsion. Your herbs should be harvested just before flowering or when they first start flowering. That is when their taste and colour are at their peak.
Will a cardboard container really hold up for an entire season through watering, wind, rain and everything else you and nature throw at it? We tested ours out, and the answer is - yes!