Bottle herb garden – a recycling project.

Step 7 Stones, potting soil, planting and watering.

Put stones in the bottom of each neck for drainage. Fill with potting soil. Plant seeds or seedlings and water.
Good luck.

Comments

[aperkins01096]

Sweet! Excellent Instructable. Love the drain-down.

[DragonSpike]

How does this work? You have plants in the top bottles and the water drains out into the bottom bottles? If so, that is a wonderful greywater system!! Good job!

[Skoenlaper]

So it looks like in the drawings that the horizontal pieces are sort of stair stepped, but in the photos I can't see that. I am not a builder so that may be a silly question but I am interested in making this and want to do it right. Thanks

[commteacher]

It looks like you have the horizontal pieces attached to 4X4s on the outside. Are the vertical 4X4s in the ground or some type of platform that is out of sight.? Is it free standing or leaning against the wood post in the background?

[njacksx]

Its a simple frame and the plastic bottles 'warp' to the shape of the frame. It leans against the pole in the background. You could sharpen the frame and plant it in the ground or hang it or make back legs or whatever. Tx for the comment.

[jamsd]

Great idea, I'm building one using fallen branches to make the frame. I picked up the cross-pieces on my walk this morning through the neighborhood off neighbor's lawns. Will be sharing your idea with our urban garden here in Detroit, it would be a good project for the kids.

[SheShe]

This is so totally cool! Plus is seems like it will be a space saving idea also since your garden will vertical instead of horizontal... saves water... recycles bottles... I can hardly wait for warm weather so I can make one.

[dkbokc]

I am not understanding the frame on this. Please forgive me if I seem a little dense here_{, from your side view it looks as if the frame is not straight backed. Please explain how you made this pyramid type angle to me. I would really like to make this project, but have to be able to tell hubby exactly how you made it. Thanks}

[njacksx]

Look at step 5, the 1st picture, follow this and don't worry about my poor drawings in the other steps, they just an indication. The frame is straight and the bottles are skew and sort of bend to the frames shape.

[DragonSpike]

also, could you do this with glass? I have much more glass bottles than soda bottles. -Spike

[njacksx]

That is exactly it, water at the top and it then drains through to the bottom plants. The actual water delivery system can be as complicated or simple as you would like. The advantage for me is the ease of watering and the portability of the unit, plus great way to recycle battles and save water. If you can get a glass bottle cutter, you could cut the bottoms of the glass bottles off and wire them or zip tie them to the frame. The edges of the glass would have to be smoothed I would say. Also the whole unit would be quite heavy, so less portable.

[Gatofalla]

Wonderful idea!!!! I've been planning on working on my herb garden, and I think this just motivated me to get started!

Thanks!!!