Mason Jar Herb Garden - DIY Cottage Chic Garden for Fresh Herbs

Growing herbs is something that any good cook should consider. This mason jar herb garden fits into the French country look that I have going on in my kitchen as part of a renovation, too. It’s the perfect DIY project for my vegetable gardening summer!

I love cottage chic decor projects. They have a rustic appeal and are “forgiving” as in, if I make a mistake it does not matter so much. This is the perfect sort of project for my tired old eyes. With Earth Day coming up soon, I wanted to do something that would be earth friendly and would also recycle. It’s also a perfect DIY project for my vegetable gardening summer since many people who grow veggies also grow fresh herbs.

Making the DIY Mason Jar Herb Garden.

When cleaning out my cupboards recently I came across a bunch of old Mason jars that I once use for making strawberry jam. They were just collecting dust, so I decided to turn them into planters for herbs.

I found the neatest Farmer’s Market Bin on sale at Michael’s craft store that was the perfect size. I love the chalkboard front. It was just crying out for some decoration.

The dollar store provided some colorful rocks for drainage and I used some old stencils, and fresh paint for decorating.

To make the project you will need the following supplies: (some links are Amazon affiliate links.)

a 3 compartment Farmer’s market style bin (you can buy it or easily make one from some left over pieces of wood.
Flower stencils – here are some cute ones from Amazon
Stencil brush – If you stencil a lot, this kit from Amazon will come in handy
Craft Paint – Martha Stewart has a great kit of them if you use them a lot
Chalk
3 clean used Mason jars
Colorful rocks for drainage (I got blue ones to match my color scheme at the Dollar Store.)
Potting soil
3 of your favorite herbs. I used Tarragon, Thyme and Parsley since those are fairly small herbs and I use them all the time.
Foam brush (7c at Lowe’s)
Labels (see template below)
Glue Stick

Directions for the mason jar herb garden:

The front of my container has a neat little chalkboard on it. Just perfect for adding some wording and floral touches.

Apply the stencils to the front and paint with a stencil brush. Remove the stencil while the paint is still dry. I am not good at stencils, so I had to touch up the paint. You can also just paint the simple flower pattern on by hand. It does not have to be perfect by any means. This is a cottage chic project, after all.

Use Chalk to print on the words Herb Garden on the front.

Place a few of the decorative rocks in the bottom of the Mason jars for drainage. I chose blue because those are the colors in my kitchen. The jars do not have a hole in the bottom, so the rocks are necessary or the plants will rot.

Fill with potting soil and plant your herbs. It is too early for me to get all the herbs I wanted at the garden center, but I bought parsley and then planted seeds for the tarragon and thyme.

The next step in making my mason jar herb garden is to add the labels. Here is my design for the labels. I made them in pic monkey and it only took about 15 minutes. Feel free to use these in your project but I ask that you link back to my project if you do.

Click the image for a full size print out.) I included some different plants in case you want to use other herbs than I did.

I used glossy photo paper to print mine, and then stuck them on with a glue stick, but you can also use special labels that have adhesive. The Mason jars have an oval raised front area and the label fit perfectly just under the top of the oval.

Place the Mason jars into the three openings and display. I have a shelf above my sink which gets good sunshine so I chose this spot for the planter. Water when the soil is dry about an inch down. The herbs will keep growing as you cut them. (this actually makes the plants bushier!) I also added a few silk flowers to the edges of my planter until the seeds start growing.

For another fun Mason Jar project, see these Easter Bunny Mason Jar Treats.