They Sure Don’t Look Like Strawberries!

Few containers are finer-looking than a terra-cotta strawberry jar with healthy herbs spilling out of its pockets. This is a great way to grow low, spreading plants like creeping thyme and mint. It keeps the herbs from spreading too far, and lifts them off the ground, away from soilborne pests and diseases. There’s just one problem: Those pots dry out fast, and when you water, it’s hard to get the soil evenly wet. Here’s how to solve that dilemma:

STEP 1. Gather your supplies. You’ll need a strawberry pot that’s at least 16 inches high, a piece of 1- to 2-inch diameter PVC pipe, a cap to cover one end of the pipe, a saw, and a drill with a ½-inch diameter bit.

STEP 2. Cut the pipe to be even with the pot’s rim when it’s standing up inside. Cap one end.

STEP 3. Drill holes about 1 inch apart down both sides of the pipe.

STEP 4. With the capped end pointing downward, insert the pipe in the center of the pot so that the top is even with the rim. Then fill the container with potting mix.

STEP 5. Starting at the bottom of the jar, tuck an herb seedling into each pocket, soaking the soil as you go. Then set several more seedlings into the top of the container.

STEP 6. Every time you water, slip a funnel into the top of the pipe, and pour water into it. The holes will distribute moisture evenly throughout the pot.