6 Best Small Hanging Baskets For Herbs That Maximize Tiny Spaces
Maximize your small space with a vertical herb garden. This guide reviews the 6 best small hanging baskets for growing fresh herbs in a tiny kitchen.
Growing your own herbs doesn’t require a sprawling garden; in fact, some of the best flavors come from the smallest spaces. Hanging baskets are the perfect solution, lifting your garden off the ground to capture sunlight and save precious patio or balcony real estate. Choosing the right container is the first and most critical step to ensuring a season full of fresh, aromatic herbs.
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Choosing the Right Planter for Your Herbs
The material of your hanging basket dictates its watering needs more than anything else. Classic coco-lined wire baskets look fantastic and offer superb aeration, but they dry out in a flash on a hot, windy day. Plastic planters, on the other hand, retain moisture much longer, which can be a blessing for thirsty herbs like mint but a death sentence for drought-lovers like rosemary if you’re not careful.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to your local climate and your daily routine. If you can water every day, a coco liner is a great choice for almost any herb. If you’re often away or forgetful, a self-watering plastic pot might save your parsley from wilting. The most important feature, regardless of material, is drainage. If a pot doesn’t have holes, either drill them yourself or don’t buy it; no herb enjoys sitting in a puddle.
Mr. Stacky 3-Tier: Best for Vertical Growth
When you’re out of horizontal space, the only way to go is up. The Mr. Stacky system is brilliant for this, letting you grow a dozen or more plants in the same footprint a single large pot would occupy. It’s essentially three pots stacked into a tower, with each tier offering several planting pockets. This design is ideal for a "pizza garden" with oregano, thyme, and marjoram all in one place.
The main tradeoff with any tiered planter is uneven access to resources. The top tier gets the most sun and rain, while the bottom can be left in the shade and might get missed during watering. You have to be diligent, rotating the planter and checking each pocket individually for moisture. It works best for smaller, less demanding herbs; trying to grow a giant Genovese basil plant in one of these pockets will only lead to disappointment.
Bloem Ariana Self-Watering Hanging Planter
Self-watering planters sound like a gimmick, but they can be incredibly effective for herbs that hate to dry out. The Bloem Ariana has a reservoir in the bottom that wicks water up into the soil as needed, creating a consistent moisture level. This is a game-changer for moisture-loving herbs like mint, parsley, and cilantro, especially during a heatwave. It buys you an extra day or two between waterings.
However, this consistency can be a problem for Mediterranean herbs. Plants like thyme, sage, and rosemary evolved in dry, gritty soil and are highly susceptible to root rot in constantly damp conditions. Using a self-watering planter for them is a recipe for disaster. Think of this planter as a specialist tool: perfect for the thirsty herbs in your collection, but not a one-size-fits-all solution for your entire herb garden.
Vivosun Wall Pockets for a Living Herb Wall
Grow a lush vertical garden indoors or outdoors with this durable felt planter. Features 36 pockets for diverse plants and easy mounting with zip ties, nails, or screws.
Wall pockets made of felt-like fabric offer a unique way to create a lush, vertical herb wall on a fence or sunny exterior wall. Because they are soft-sided and breathable, they encourage fantastic root health through a process called "air pruning," preventing plants from becoming root-bound. This makes them surprisingly effective for growing a high density of smaller herbs like chives, oregano, and various thymes.
The significant downside is how quickly they dry out. The porous fabric that’s so good for roots also allows moisture to evaporate rapidly from all sides. On a hot, sunny day, you may need to water them in the morning and again in the evening. They are a high-maintenance option best suited for someone who enjoys the daily ritual of tending to their plants and wants to create a stunning visual feature.
Panacea Coco-Lined Basket for Classic Charm
There’s a reason the simple wire basket with a coco coir liner is a timeless classic. It provides unmatched drainage and aeration, creating an environment where herb roots can thrive. This is the ideal setup for Mediterranean herbs that demand sharp drainage, as excess water pours right through. The natural look of the coco fiber also fits beautifully into almost any garden aesthetic.
Like the fabric wall pockets, the excellent drainage is also its biggest challenge. These baskets require frequent, often daily, watering in the summer. One trick is to place a small plastic saucer inside the basket, at the bottom, before adding soil. This creates a tiny hidden reservoir that can help it get through a hot afternoon without completely drying out, giving you a little bit of a buffer.
Gardman Balconniere for Railing Herb Gardens
For those with a balcony, railing planters like the Gardman Balconniere are an obvious but often overlooked choice. These long, trough-style containers are designed to sit securely over a standard railing, instantly creating a linear garden bed. This design is perfect for planting a row of different culinary herbs, giving you easy access to a variety of flavors right outside your kitchen door.
The main consideration with a railing planter is sun exposure. One side will likely face outward, getting more direct sun, while the inner side may be more shaded. You can use this to your advantage. Plant sun-worshippers like basil and thyme on the sunny side, and place more delicate, shade-tolerant herbs like parsley or chervil on the protected inner side. It’s like creating microclimates within a single container.
Topsy Turvy Planter for Trailing Herb Types
The Topsy Turvy planter is famous for tomatoes, but it has a niche use for herbs, too. The upside-down concept is not for every plant; upright herbs like dill or basil will struggle to fight gravity. Where it shines is with trailing or cascading herbs. Prostrate rosemary, creeping thyme, or even some types of oregano will happily spill out of the bottom, creating a unique weeping effect.
This planter is a solution for a very specific problem: making use of vertical space when you have no surface to place a pot on. It requires a very sturdy hook and a location where drips won’t be an issue. It’s more of a novelty for most herbs, but for the right trailing variety in the right spot, it can be a clever and efficient use of space.
Tips for Planting and Maintaining Your Baskets
Success with hanging baskets comes down to three things: soil, water, and harvesting. Start with a lightweight potting mix, not heavy garden soil. A good quality mix designed for containers will hold moisture without becoming waterlogged and won’t weigh down your basket. You can amend it with a little perlite for extra drainage or compost for a slow-release nutrient boost.
Watering is a daily task in summer. Don’t just look at the soil; stick your finger an inch deep. If it feels dry, it’s time to water thoroughly until you see it running out of the drainage holes. Finally, harvest your herbs regularly, even if you don’t need them right away. Snipping the tips of plants like basil, mint, and oregano encourages them to grow bushier and more productive, preventing them from getting leggy and flowering too early.
The best hanging basket is the one that fits your space, your schedule, and the specific needs of the herbs you want to grow. By matching the right container to the right plant, you can turn any sunny wall, railing, or overhang into a productive and beautiful culinary garden. Now go get your hands dirty.
