Run To Dollar Tree To Get Everything You Need For A DIY Herb Drying Rack

If you're growing a thriving herb garden, you know how rewarding it is to bring fresh flavors and fragrances into your home right from the yard. While there's nothing like the taste of fresh-picked herbs, many recipes benefit from the herbs being dried first. Properly drying herbs, which preserves their flavor and nutritional value, requires more than just laying them out and walking away. Factors such as humidity, inadequate airflow, and excessive direct sunlight need to be considered, as they can cause herbs to lose their quality or even develop mold. This is where herb drying racks come into the picture. Herb drying racks help herbs dry efficiently by allowing air to move around them. These are popular items to DIY, as so many different things can be combined to make them, from picture frames to macramé hoops. Your local Dollar Tree has everything you need to make an herb drying rack as well. 

All you need for this project are a Floral Garden Metal Wreath Form, Jot Silver 50-mm Paper Clips, and the chain from a Hanging Wire Basket. The end result is not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing and possibly even more budget-friendly than the kitchen herb display you can make with thrifted items. With the basic Dollar Tree items, the total cost is under $4! Your herb drying rack will ensure that your herbs get the airflow they need to keep your cooked dishes bright and flavorful.

Similar to the DIY herb drying rack that uses an embroidery hoop, this project creates a carousel of herbs to hang from the ceiling. To begin, remove the chain from the wire basket, and reattach it to the wreath form. Then, hook paper clips to the form's rings. When you've harvested your herbs, use rubber bands to separate them into small bundles at the stems, and hook the bundles upside down onto the paper clips. Finally, hang your herb drying rack out of direct sunlight until the herbs are dry, which may take a week or two. 

An easy way to modify this hack while saving a little money is to skip purchasing the wreath form and hang the bundles of herbs directly from the wire basket. Herbs can be hung from the rim of the basket or from the bottom. The wreath form provides more space for herb bundles, but for small herb gardens, the wire basket may be all you need. If you want to add some color to your hanging drying rack, use spray paint specifically designed for metal on both the wreath form and the chain. To supply color in a more subtle way, Floral Garden Floral Colored Wire at Dollar Tree can be used as an alternative to paper clips. Dollar Tree also carries Wire Storage Basket Trays that are perfect for this project. Instead of attaching the metal chain to a plant basket or wreath form, simply hook it onto the storage basket.