How to Make a Deck Rail Herb Garden

How was your long weekend? Did you work on any home projects or simply relax? We were on a Mission Trip with our church and it was a great week {& holiday weekend} to serve together and celebrate together.

It’s been a little quiet around the blog as Erica and I have been enjoying these summer months and special activities, from Vacation Bible School, to camps and weekend trips. The bathroom progress has been slow going the last month {which is kind of a bummer, because it’s only the finishing touches left!}; but hopefully we’ll get back to it over the next few weeks and I can share it with you all.

For today, I’m sharing a quick project I tackled in about a half hour.

Last summer I painted large planters and filled them with our herbs. The planters sat right on our deck outside the kitchen and it was sooo convenient when I needed fresh herbs for cooking.

Our Patio Makeover // see more here

In our new home we don’t have quite as much room on the deck so I thought it’d be a smart use  of space to add some planters on the deck railing instead.

Now, this could definitely be a pretty simple DIY… and I’ve seen plenty like these lovely planter boxes. However, we’ve got a list a mile long of projects and I was already late getting started on an herb garden for this season — so store-bought was the best option in this case.

Here’s what we purchased:

• Window Box Planter in Slate
• Garden Soil
• Herbs
• Adjustable Window Box Holder
• Deck Screws {we already had these on hand}

** all amazon links are affiliate links

The installation is pretty straightforward; but I want to share a few tips.

1. The holder is adjustable for various widths of deck railing.
2. However, it should go on very snug! So tighten it up and maneuver it onto the rail. If the round lip is sitting atop the railing, you’ve installed it correctly.
3. If the round lip isn’t on top of the railing, everything will be slanted once you get the plants in place {see the window box in the background of the photo}.
4. I added deck screws for some added support. The directions didn’t call for that; but it gave me some peace of mind to know it is anchored to the railing.

Even though I had to re-install my first railing box, this project was still a quick one. I’d love to add my herb markers when we find them {they are still lost in moving box abyss, haha}. For now, though, I’m just excited to have handy access to fresh herbs and some green on our deck!

Do you like to have fresh herbs on hand? Which ones do you cook with most often? I find myself using basil and sage the most.