My small front porch is now overflowing with plants. I have almost run out of space to put pots, so I'm taking my own advice and looking at how to use vertical space to plant my garden and get my Spring on. I found this great tutorial on a cheap DIY vertical garden.

Fern at Life On The Balcony is a master at maximizing gardening space. No matter how tiny your balcony or porch or windowsill, you can have a garden. Her tutorial on creating a planted pallet is inspiring and simple.

1. Find a Pallet. Most likely you'll find one behind a supermarket near the dumpsters so it's FREE!
2. Prepare the Pallet. Repair any loose boards and add landscape fabric to the back so you dont damage the wall that the pallet will rest against.
3. Pick Your Plants. Cascading plants like the nasturtiums she has on the top level will make it feel full and vibrant. This would also be an excellent place to have a vertical herb garden planted with thyme and basil and rosemary.
4. Enjoy Spring.

Follow Fern's step by step instructions, with photos on her blog: Life on The Balcony.

For more inspiration check out 10 Inspiring Small Space Balcony Gardens.

Images: Life On The Balcony