the essentials in brief
- A herb staircase can easily be made of wood or Euro pallets(€ 29.99 at Amazon *) build by yourself.
- A herbal staircase made of stone can be made with the help of plant rings or plant stones.
- In the case of a herb staircase in the outdoor area, it is important to use weather-resistant material.
Build your own wooden herbal staircase - DIY instructions
Building a herbal staircase out of wood requires a little manual skill and precision
Do you have a herbal staircase in mind for a balcony, terrace, winter garden or kitchen? You are well advised to use wood as a construction material. The natural material is renewable, environmentally friendly, easy to work and, compared to stone, it is lightweight. Do-it-yourselfers don't have to dig deep into their pockets for the purchase, because local woods can be bought cheaply in every hardware store. The following instructions explain how to build a three-step herb staircase yourself:
also read
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Material and tools
- Pine or spruce glued wood (ideally pressure-impregnated)
- Cordless screwdriver
- Jigsaw
- Miter saw
- Compasses, pencil, clamps, gloves, safety glasses
- M6 screws, M6 cap nuts, wood screws, wood glue, link chain (100 cm), wood glaze (Blue Angel)
instructions
The specialists in the hardware store do the cutting for a small fee using computer-controlled machines according to the following dimensions:
| number | Components | Dimensions in mm |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rear legs | 1140 x 60 |
| 2 | Front legs | 1200 x 60 |
| 1 | Rear cross brace | 672 x 60 |
| 3 | Supports for boxes | 636 x 60 |
| 6 | Transverse frames | 600 x 60 |
| 2 | Long frames, large boxes | 300 x 60 |
| 2 | Long sides of the middle box | 250 x 60 |
| 2 | Small box longitudinal frames | 200 x 60 |
| 1 | Bottom large box | 564 x 264 |
| 1 | Bottom middle box | 564 x 214 |
| 1 | Bottom small box | 564 x 164 |
Precisely cut wood makes the following construction work a pleasure even for the inexperienced do-it-yourselfer. How to proceed step-by-step:
- Cut the side parts of the boxes at the end at a 45 ° angle with the miter saw
- Drill screw holes in the short sides (for later screwing to the frame)
- Glue the boxes, fix them with clamps and let them dry
- Draw the curves at the top of the legs, drill a hole and cut the curve
- Cut the front legs at a 21 ° angle, the rear legs at a 12 ° angle
- Drill holes on the sides of the supports (pre-drill and countersink)
- Fix the position of the supports on the supporting legs (important: on the back of the front legs) and screw on
- Rear and front legs connect with threaded screws, secured with cap nuts
- Mark, fix and screw the cross brace
- Screw the wooden boxes to the supports (smallest above, largest below)
- Screw on the link chain at the level of the lower step
- Impregnate the herb staircase - done
You can implement these instructions more cheaply if you replace the flat wooden steps with plant boxes made from Euro pallets. This has the advantage that you can either fill a box with substrate and plant it or simply place herb pots in it. How to make one from a wooden pallet Flower box(€ 149.00 at Amazon *) you can do it yourself here read up.
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Digression
Stylish corner filler - herbal staircase made of metal
Planting the herb staircase - what goes where?
Rosemary needs a lot of sun
The floor-by-floor structure of a herbal staircase offers plenty of scope for the arrangement of plants. In the sunny location, the herbs receive sufficient light on each floor for healthy growth. Nevertheless, the plants in the upper area enjoy a higher amount of sun rays than herbs close to the ground. The classic one takes over the role model function for the optimal planting plan of your new herb staircase Garden herb spiral as a simulation of the four most important climatic zones on our planet. As the following table shows, the upper tier should be reserved for Mediterranean sun worshipers. Domestic and shade-friendly herbs gather on the middle and lower floors:
| Herbal lower floor | botanical name | Herbal middle floor | botanical name | Herbal upper floor | botanical name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dill | Anethum graveolens | Basil 'Provence' | Ocimum basilicum | Thyme 'Compactus' | Thymus vulgaris |
| Chives 'Profusion' | Allium schoenoprasum | Strawberry mint | Mentha species | Sage 'Nana' | Salvia officinalis |
| tarragon | Artemisia dracunculus | Marjoram 'Aureum' | Origanum vulgare | Mountain savory | Satureja montana |
| French sorrel | Rumex acetosa | Nasturtiums, low | Tropaeolum minus | rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis |
| chervil | Anthriscus cerefolium | Vietnamese coriander | Polygonum odoratum | oregano | Origanum vulgare |
The solar yield at the site is an important premise, but not the only criterion for the arrangement of the herb plants. Vigor and expansion should also be factored into the final placement. Majestic herb species ruthlessly overshadow their neighbors and trigger growth depressions. For extensive lovage or meters high Lemon balm a place on the herb staircase is not recommended.
Tips
Magnificent herbs are the most beautiful ornament on a herbal staircase. Healthy, vital growth of your pot herbs primarily depends on the right combination of a sunny location, loosely permeable substrate and economical water supply. A drainage from potsherds prevents fatal waterlogging. Please use peat-free, organic soil, enriched with a third Lava granules for perfect water storage. Only pour the herbal treasures when the substrate surface has dried noticeably.
Herbal staircase made of stone - building instructions for the garden
Herbal spirals made of stone are a particularly durable variant of the herb staircase
You can use stones to build a herbal staircase that will last forever. So that no valuable space is lost as cultivation area, we recommend the use of plant stones. Semicircular plant rings made of concrete in decorative colors are attractive and inexpensive. With a height of 20 centimeters and a width of 34 centimeters, each stone weighs about 20 kilograms. A herb staircase made up of a total of 22 plant stones and rings does not weigh more than 500 kilograms. Even a simple foundation made of gravel can carry the load in Garden soil to wear. How to build a herbal staircase out of stone yourself:
Material and tools
- 18 pieces of plant stones
- 4 pieces of plant rings
- Gravel and crushed stone
- Wooden pegs, string
- spade, Folding rule, spirit level, rubber mallet, rented vibrating plate
instructions
First measure out the base area, which you mark with wooden pegs and string. The soil is now bagged to a depth of 30 and distributed the gravel as drainage and foundation. With a rented one Plate compactor(€ 359.90 at Amazon *) tamp down the gravel. As a lower step, place 10 plant stones in 2 rows. On the rear row of stones, 3 plant stones are positioned across. Place 4 plant rings in front of it. 5 plant stones act as the third stage. This arrangement creates a total of 14 mini-beds within the herb staircase, which you fill with loose potting soil for growing your favorite herbs. The remaining cavities are filled with gravel, crushed stone, sand or garden soil during construction.
frequently asked Questions
On the lawn of my front yard I would like to build a 1.50 meter high stone herbal staircase myself as an eye-catcher, on the steps of which there are pots and buckets all around. How do I best approach the project?
A stone, man-high herbal staircase cannot do without a stable foundation. Dig a 50 centimeter deep pit at the site, fill it about 35 centimeters high with gravel and pound it firmly. This is followed by an approx. 15 centimeter thick concrete slab, ideally reinforced with structural steel. Once dry, brick the steps in the form of square stone boxes. Fill each stone box with gravel up to about 10 centimeters below the top edge of the side walls. Lay 10 centimeter thick natural stones, field stones or bricks in the gravel bed, jointed with Joint sand. By walling the long sides 30 centimeters shorter than the previous step, a herbal staircase made of stone is created.
I want to buy a herbal staircase for a balcony that is not protected from rain. Which material is best for the purpose?
Weather resistance is an important property of the best material for an outdoor herb staircase. In this respect, metal has a clear lead if there is no reliable rain protection. Whether forged, cast or welded; a herbal staircase made of metal bravely stands up to any weather. The best impregnation does not prevent a wooden herbal staircase from weathering sooner or later. A longer lifespan can be expected if you choose a construction made from WPC wood. It is a composite of wood, plastic and various additives.
When is the best time to make your own herbal staircase for the balcony?
Spring is the best time to build and plant an outdoor herb staircase. During the months of March and April you can concentrate on the construction work in peace until the planting season begins at the beginning of May. Ideally, use February to pull your favorite herbs from seeds. Growing them on the windowsill is easy on the wallet and is rewarded with vital herbs, which juicy and weak conspecifics from the supermarket cannot hold a candle to.
Tips
The herb staircase on the balcony and terrace is not condemned to floral desolation in winter. While herbal plants that are sensitive to frost linger in their winter quarters, take hardy balcony plants like space on the stair construction. We recommend winter heather (Erica carnea), Purple bells (Heuchera) and red carpet berries (Gaultheria procumbens). Not to forget the secret winter queen Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), which puts on its flower dress in the middle of the cold season.