Grow Herbs in Mason Jars

I love mason jars. They are so versatile. I use them all the time in the farmhouse for pantry storage, preserving, decorating, and even as a vase or utensil holder. A mason jar is just a simple and timeless item with a classic shape that screams country style. This spring I’m trying out some new uses for my mason jars that are not currently in rotation in the kitchen. One thing I’ve been dying to try is to grow herbs in mason jars. I admit they’ll probably end up more decorative than useful as we have a herb garden outside the kitchen. But I just had to give this idea a go. It’s just such a cottagey, handmade thing to do.

What You Need to Grow Herbs in Mason Jars

I’ve read a number of posts and the list of items seems to vary. Here is what I came up with

• Your herbs of choice. I used thyme, coriander and parsley. Small plants from the nursery are a better choice in this instance as they provide an instant decorative effect and are more hardy than a seedling. It will cost more to buy them but you will be able to pick the leaves sooner
• Mason jars. (Make sure you put your lids in a safe place and don’t forget where. Speaking from expperience here!)
• Small pieces of gravel or rocks for drainage.
• Potting mix
• Plant markers of some kind (you probably don’t need these but they look pretty) These a made from cardstock cut into circles and threaded on with jute string. (My favourite as you know)

Suitable Plants for your Mason Jars

• Basil
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Coriander
• Chives
• Rosemary

How To Plant the Herbs

This part of the project is easy, even if you don’t have much of a green thumb like me. First, clean the jars and make sure the glass is sparkling. There’s no reason other than it looks prettier when the glass is pristine.

Adequate drainage is essential for your herbs in canning jars, so the next step is to put a handful of pebbles, broken pottery, or glass beads into the bottom of each mason jar. Fill them about a third of the way up to add some visual interest to the jar and prevent the water from sitting in the soil and everything starting to look a little waterlogged and moldy.

Now fill the mason jar with potting mix.

Plant the transplanted herbs so the root ball is level or slightly below the surface of the potting media. Moisten the potting mix first with a bit of warm water, then add the mix, covering the tallest transplant root ball so it sits with its top surface 2cm below the rim of the jar. Add a little liquid fertiliser at this stage. Water the Mason jar herb garden thoroughly.

Tie a garden marker in each mason jar. Then place your herb garden in a sunny spot where it will get around six hours of light a day. Enjoy fresh herbs throughout Spring and into Summer!