The IKEA VESKEN Cart Is The Perfect Solution For An Outdoor Herb Garden

Have you ever been forced to use dried herbs in a recipe that calls for fresh, simply because you don't have any of those fresh herbs on hand? Growing herbs is actually cheaper and easier than you think, thanks to the IKEA VESKEN cart. It's available in white or black and only costs $9.99, making it a stylish and affordable addition to your porch or garden. 

This bathroom storage cart is the perfect vessel for a portable herb garden because of its wheels and pre-drilled drainage holes. You can roll it into or out of direct sunlight, bring it under a covered porch during heavy rainfall or wind, roll it inside when the weather dips to freezing, or move it in front of the perfect backdrop for some Instagram-worthy snapshots. 

The IKEA VESKEN herb garden is one of the best IKEA hacks on TikTok. You can see it in action in this TikTok video from @emilykroehn, who uses the cart to keep a large variety of fresh herbs on her small balcony. No matter your yard size (or complete lack thereof), you too can grow a kitchen herb garden and have your favorite recipe staples at your fingertips.

There's no DIY involved when you want to take your IKEA VESKEN cart out of the bathroom and into the garden, because every tier already has evenly distributed holes for water drainage, which is important for healthy herbs. After planting in a potting soil like Burpee organic premium potting mix into your IKEA VESKEN cart, apply a small amount of liquid fertilizer. Water the herbs well, making sure the water reaches the roots, but allow to dry completely before re-watering. 

Besides excellent drainage, herbs need plenty of sunlight and prefer loose soil. They are easy for beginners, as they don't require much fertilizer (too much can impact the taste), and thrive with heavy, infrequent watering. The hardest part will be choosing which herbs you should grow and which to put together in the same tier. 

Some herbs — such as mint (Mentha spp.), which can become invasive, and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), which impacts the taste of nearby herbs – should be kept alone in a cart tier. Basil (Ocimum basilicum), oregano (Origanum vulgare), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) grow well together, and bonus: they often end up in the same recipes. The same can be said of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris), another excellent trio of companion herbs.