Making the ALGOT baskets into a window herb garden

We moved condo recently and no longer had space for two of our ALGOT units:

We have a small balcony space that is only accessible if you climb out of a window, so it’s pointless:

The two ALGOT frames would fit outside nicely so I decided to turn them into window boxes for a herb garden as it would mean the herbs would be at waist height rather than having to bend down to tend to them.

The problem was that there are two bars that connect the two sides of the frame, which would cover some of the herbs, or lead to problems watering the plants:

So I removed the two top bars, drilled 4 holes below the depth of the baskets and put the bars in there instead to keep the frame sturdy:

Now there are no obstructions above the baskets:

I then started thinking how to connect the two frames together to make them sturdier and realised I could remove one of the bars from each bottom frame:

I did this for both frames which meant I had two places to plant herbs:

By placing the two ‘new’ bars at the top between the two frames, you can rest a 3rd basket in that space to give you more room for plants.

See Also

From Vase to Self-Watering Planter: A clever DIY project for easy plant care

But I replaced the 3rd basket with 2 planting pots that I found fitted perfectly so that I could grow more variety of herbs:

The baskets are perfect for drainage, any excess water can drain through the holes, although you need to line the baskets with a planter box liner that you can buy from a gardening store otherwise the soil will also drain through!

The ALGOT units are fantastic for use outdoors as they are painted, so they’re unlikely to rust anytime soon. They’ve been outdoors now for a few months and still look like new.

If you were to use them on a rooftop or garden then you could also use the lower basket slots to store your gardening tools, etc.

~ Steven Middler

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Jules Yap

Jules Yap started IKEAHackers.net in 2006 as a personal blog to showcase the most impressive IKEA hacks from all over the world. Since then, she has learned a lot more about power tools and DIY. Her site has helped thousands modify IKEA furniture with step-by-step tutorials, craft projects and home styling.

Jules is the author of IKEAHackers.net: 25 Biggest and Best Projects".

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