Don showed some innovative ways to grow herbs without a backyard! All you need is a sunny balcony or deck, or even a windowsill.

Classy look

Don turned an ordinary, plastic kitchen container into a fabulous little pot. He simply drilled some drainage holes in the bottom, filled the container with potting mix and popped in some basil. Three identical containers were planted with chives, parsley and mint. The four pots fitted neatly into a large, segmented display basket, but before putting them in, Don sealed the basket with Thompson's Water Seal. He then glued three pieces of dowel to the bottom of the basket so that it would sit up off the ground. As a finishing touch, decorative herb labels were attached to the sides of the basket.

Another plastic container was planted with red oakleaf lettuce and then put into a taller, cylindrical woven basket. Another fitted beautifully inside a square basket.

Don’s tips

• Bring your baskets of potted herbs indoors to the dinner table. Your guests can then pick fresh herbs and put them straight onto their plates.
• At different times of the year when the herbs die back, replace them with potted bloomers to add some colour to the balcony or dinner table.

Cost and availability

• Large square basket, $30.00 approx. from homeware and craft stores.
• Small square basket, $20 approx. from homeware and craft stores.
• Round medium basket, $20 from homeware and craft stores.
• Plasticware, $5- $7 from stores such as Target.
• Hot glue gun large $15, small $11 available from hardware stores.
• Herbs in 125mm (5") pots, $5 from nurseries.
• Flowering annuals in 100mm (4") pots, $3 from nurseries.
• Thompson's Water Seal, $22 for 1 litre from most hardware stores.

Copyright CTC Productions 2003