Build a herb tower for your garden by transforming an old trolley

Apr 30, 2023

By Sarah Pickering and Jen McCutcheon

It might be hard to visualise a portable trolley growing fresh plants, but this herb garden will change your mind.

Trolleys are great for small spaces, as they have a tiny footprint and make use of vertical space.

You may have an old one lying around the house and, if not, you can often find them in hard rubbish or in op shops.

This herb tower will fit in the tightest of spaces, is easy to take with you if you move and transforms an unused item into a kitchen essential. You can also hang tools and other items off the side.

According to Gardening Australia's Tammy Huynh, this is how you can do it yourself.

Look for a trolley with netted baskets or shelves perforated with holes. The holes are important to let the water go through, but it will need lining to keep soil contained.

Hessian fabric is often cheap or easy to source at coffee roasters, and pond liner with some holes to let water through will extend the life of your trolley and capture the flow of water.

Line each trolley tray, ensuring the hessian overlaps the sides. Add an additional layer of pond liner, then half-fill with premium potting mix.

The tower design allows for varied conditions to suit a variety of herbs.

As water trickles down from the top, herbs that prefer moist, shaded conditions will be happy on the bottom shelf, and herbs that prefer sun and free-draining soil will be happiest on the top shelf.

Tammy suggests starting at the bottom and working your way up. You'll need to avoid plants with larger roots like carrot, parsnips and sorrel, but plenty of shallow-rooted herbs will grow great in this tower.

Give everything a good drink on each layer and wheel it around as the sun moves.

Now you have a vertical tiered garden that will ensure fresh vegetables and herbs will always be close at hand.

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