Growing Herbs in a Strawberry Pot

I like using fresh herbs and have found growing the perennial sort pretty painless.  I’ve had luck with Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Catmint and Chives in the garden.  Easy-to-grow, I’ve just stuck these in the dirt and kept them watered.  I’ve found regular Mint to be entirely too invasive, so will grow it in a pot.
For the Annual Herbs, I’ve had good luck using a Strawberry Pot on the deck.  It takes up very little space and gives you tons of fresh herbs.  But in the heat of the summer, I have some trouble keeping everyone evenly watered.  Solution?  PVC Pipe.

Start with a Strawberry Pot.



Cut a piece of PVC Pipe a couple inches taller than your pot and drill some holes in it.  Also, with PVC glue, attach an end cap.  (I didn’t do this the first year, and the water would just run out of the bottom of the pot.)



Stick the pipe in the middle of the pot and start filling with dirt.  (If you like, you can use rocks or broken pieces of a pot for drainage at the bottom).  Fill with dirt up to the first level of holes in your strawberry pot.



Place your herbs in the first layer of holes and then keep going.  If you like, you can add slow release fertilizer and/or water crystals as you go. I also plant the identification tags that come with the herbs next to them in the pot.  This helps me see what’s what.  This part also gets messy; it can help to do this over an old bedsheet or towel to contain the soil.



When you water, just pour into the PVC pipe until it’s full. 

Here is the finished pot two months into the summer. Kept right outside the kitchen door, I have easy access to fresh herbs all summer long.