Skip The Traditional Herb Box: Use An Old Bundt Pan For A Cute DIY

Herbs make amazing garden additions, adding flavor to your food and sweet smells to your landscape. And because they are generally shallow-rooted, they're ideal for growing in a variety of unusual and unexpected vessels like old soccer balls or teapots. One clever container you might not have considered yet is an old Bundt pan. With a few drainage holes and some twine, you can turn that forgotten bakeware into a hanging herb planter.

Turning a Bundt pan into a cute planter is a surprisingly easy DIY — just add some drainage holes to the bottom. But with a few extra steps, you can take the idea a step further and turn the pan into an eye-catching hanging herb garden. This is ideal for anyone gardening on a small patio or balcony where surface area is at a premium. Instead of using a traditional box that takes up valuable floor or table space, you can hang them overhead. All you need for this project is an old Bundt pan, a drill, some rope or twine, and, of course, your herbs and potting mix.

If you don't already have a perfectly aged Bundt pan to upcycle, check your local thrift store. (If you end up finding more than one, you can always turn the extra into a cute DIY bird bath.) Once you have a pan, give it a good wash and drill drainage holes in the bottom. These will allow excess water to escape while helping keep the potting mix in place. Next, drill three equidistant holes around the outside of the pan, just below the lip, for threading your twine through. At this stage, you can paint your planter with a finish that withstands moisture and changing temperatures.

If you'd like, add beads to your twine for some extra decoration. Then thread it through the holes you made near the lip of the pan, putting a large knot at the beginning of each strand to keep it from slipping through. Then, after making sure each strand is the same length, knot the ends together. 

Finally, fill the Bundt pan with your potting mix, and plant your herbs. Compact, shallow-rooted options such as thyme, chives, oregano, and parsley are good candidates, as long as the planter receives the sunlight they need. Now, just hang your new herb garden from a hook and enjoy!