Painted Pots + Herb Garden

It’s time for another Pinterest Challenge!

Since I’m currently in kitchen mode, I figured I’d work on a kitchen-related pin…and because all of my other Pinterest Challenge projects have been artwork. Anyway, I’ve wanted to plant a vegetable/herb garden in our backyard since I moved in 2 years ago. Unfortunately I gave up on that idea after we got Ringo the Destroyer.  

And then one day I realized - I can plant an herb garden in my window sill…duh! I get my herb garden and Ringo can’t reach it – win for me!

I wanted to get light blue pots to go with my canisters, but couldn’t find any that were the right size and/or had drainage dishes. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never had luck with pots that don’t have a hole for drainage. Anyway, after I couldn’t find what I was looking for (story of my life), I turned to Pinterest and was inspired by all of the painted pot projects I had on my DIY board.

(source via Pinterest)

(source via Pinterest)

I started with plain terra cotta pots from Michael’s (but you can find them anywhere) - they were about $2 per pot/drain dish set. I wanted to fill up my window, so I bought five sets. I painted them with CraftSmart Robin’s Egg Blue acrylic paint. It took three coats and about 3 bottles of paint to get all five painted. I’m a little worried about how the paint will hold up since I didn’t prep or seal the pots - I didn’t want to add any extra chemicals since we’ll be eating the herbs. I guess we’ll see…

(Edited 2/19/14: Be sure to prime or seal your pots before painting them! The wet soil ended up staining the paint and I had to repaint all of my pots. I used primer that I had leftover from painting the bedrooms, then painted another coat of blue. The paint is holding up so much better now.)

I’m too impatient for seeds, so I bought herb plants at Lowes - they were about $3 each. I chose rosemary, basil, parsley, oregano and thyme (I actually wanted chives instead of thyme, but they chive plants looked dead). I planted them in my painted pots after letting the paint dry for about 24 hours. Hopefully the plants…and the pots survive!

I love the pop of color in the window! I originally planned to color block (like my inspiration pin) or embellish the pots in some way, but ended up deciding that color blocking/embellishing x5 might be too much. I might change my mind at some point, but for now I love the simple blue. 

Wellll, I guess there is still a little embellishing to be done – I was going to DIY some herb markers, but I found a set in an Etsy shop that I couldn’t pass up. They had the best prices by far and were willing to customize the silverware with the herb names I needed. I ordered them on Sunday, so they haven’t arrived yet, but I’ll update y’all when they do. 

(source)

And with that, another project is crossed off my kitchen to-do list!

To-Do List:

Add hardware to kitchen cabinets

Add backsplash

Replace stove (stainless steel)

Replace faucet

Update kitchen artwork

Update menu board

Create “Eat” sign

Re-pot plants

Add herb garden to window sill

Sew new faux roman shades

Create sign for above sink (to replace bon appétit sign)

Buy rug

Add accessories: potholders, towels, bamboo utensils/crock, oil/vinegar bottles

Don't forget to check out Katie, Sherry, Michelle, and Megan's Pinterest Challenge projects! Plus you can link up your own (or check out everyone else's projects) on any of their posts.