I have only ever used the string and hanging upside down method, but I have thought about trying an unused food dehydrator that doesnāt take up very much space and isnāt a huge energy draw. I know I couldnāt use it for everything, but the ability to stack multiple trays in the same amount of space is tempting.
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Welcome to the forum Nyx! 
Weāre happy to have you here. 
I think a dehydrator is a good idea! I have used my oven for drying out Juniper on a very low temp for about an hour. My whole house smelled sooo good and I still have some of the Juniper left after at least two years.
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Welcome to our community 
@nyxblackroot
Iām Marsha, an eclectic solitary witch and Iām glad to meet you, Renee.
Iāve only dried rose petals, but I think I will try it with some of the lavender I have growing in my garden. I donāt have a food dehydrator and have never used one, but I would think it would work for herbs and flowers. If you try it, let us know how it goes.
Love alwaysā¦
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Hi, @MeganB.
I think my husband would disown me if I used our oven to dry the different types of lavender we have growing. 
Itās not his favorite scent. We also have a lot of spearmint. I might try that in our oven since I have to dig the dehydrator out of the garage and clean it up before I can use it. Iāll let you know how it goes.
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Hi, @marsha.
Thank you for the warm welcome. I wish I had rose petals to dry. At our previous house, we had about 15 different kinds of roses growing but we donāt have any in our current yard. To decrease maintenance, we got rid of all but a tiny strip of grass (that is calf-high right now) and planted native plants, shrubs, and trees. They require a lot less water and upkeep.
Iād love to hear how your dried lavender turns out.
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We are. We definitely compliment each other.
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Please do!
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Welcome @nyxblackroot
Ohhhh a food dehydrator is a great idea! Not too much space, less energy than a oven, and faster than hang/sheet drying- I donāt have a dehydrator at the moment, but Iāll have to look into getting one. Iāve just about run out of room to hang herbs, I could probably use one! 
Thank you for the recommendation! Blessed be 
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I would like to start my herb garden in a garden box weāre going to purchase. Iāve never tried drying my own herbs so when itās prime for planting and harvesting, Iād like to try both methods. Thank you for sharing your results
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I totally forgot about this method but I use it pretty often:
You can also put herbs in a paper bag, store it in a cool dry area and they will dry in the bag. Of course you canāt fill the bag, just put a thin layer on the bottom or lay the bag on its side for more space. It keeps the dust off too 
I just fold the top or end over to loosely close it.
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I usually hang them but this year thanks to the early Texas heat Iām going to have to buy my dried herbs. 
All of my pants have died and itās way to late in the season to try to grow anything now.
Iām going to give it another go next year but I have a better plan in place. Iām going to get them set up on the shade. I saw a video where they used terracotta planters as water storage inside the garden. Seal the bottom of the planter, dig a hole in the bed, place planter, fill with water, and cover with terracotta saucer to keep debris out. The roots of the plants will hug the planter and pull what water they need out. All you have to do is keep the planter full.
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The lavender drying outside is going well- but unfortunately we had a little four-pawed accident with an entire string of the lavender drying inside 
I thought it was up high enough that the little gremlin man couldnāt get to it- but I was wrong. There was lavender everywhere. Smelled great, but a nightmare to clean 
@robin77 Itās my pleasure, Robin- Iām wishing you all the best with your herb garden box! May your plants thrive and yield a beautiful harvest for you to dry and enjoy! 
@Sarafeena_Sage That sounds like a great way to dry herbs- thank you so much for sharing, Sarall! The dust is definitely something to consider (and try to prevent), but I wonder if this would stop grabby little feline hands from attacking the herbs too? Could be worth a shot!
@Amaris_Bane That is a tragedy, Amaris- Iām so sorry about your plants. You tried your best, but I know the heat down there is something ferocious. It sounds like youāve done your research and have a plan- I pray next year is a better year for gardeners down South! 
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@Amaris_Bane thatās an awesome idea!! Iāve been having trouble with my plants and the heat too! I just hate it when I go out and one is burned up dry!!
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I know! I get so sad. Even my succulents are struggling this year. I am barely keeping them going. I am having to water them way more often they normal.
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@BryWisteria I think the paper bag might help with the kitty problem as long as you fold the top over so he doesnāt think itās a playpen!!
Kitties are so much fun LOL
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I just pictured a little gremlin cat playing with lavender and now I canāt get it out of my head 
thatās too funny!
We just planted three lavender plants in pots to hang around the inside of our screened patio to help keep the bugs away. 
Hereās to hoping it works!
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Itās definitely worth a try haha- thanks again for the great idea, Sarall! 
Hahaha thatās pretty much how it was- he was a happy little gremlin jumping about, slapping lavender stalks all over the living room floor while I chased him around trying to collect as much of it as I could 
Thatās so exciting about your new lavender plants- may they thrive and help to keep the bugs away! 
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Oh I love the box screen you have for drying herbs! Maybe not great for Lavender, which just LOVES to shed those precious blossoms, but that would be fantastic for Sage and other leaf-bodied herbs!
I have a hanging tool I got from a Craft-themed blind box (though I ordered it after they released photos of the contents; it was the hanging tool that drew me to it!), so Iāll hang small bundles of things there. Before I got the hanger, I wrapped bundles and hung them on the wall hooks around my office that will hold up holiday lights around Halloween and the winter festivities.
I also use a paper bag for things that donāt need to be held straight under their own weight, like flower petals and such, and I have a bowl of crystalized sea salt that Iāll share between drying herbs and purifying newly arrived gemstones and tarot decks. The sea salt probably works the fastest of the things Iāve tried, and the paper bag (combined, I assume, with the strength of the A/C in my office) works really well, even when I have my doubts (such as with flowers that havenāt been separated out from their blossom).
But I really kinda want a screen box, now!
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Oh! And I forgot to say we have an amazing convection toaster-sized oven that has been a gift for anyone in the house wanting to reheat fried food and still have crispy skin. I should really give it a try for things like dried herbs.
I burned some sage yesterday that Iād used the hanging method on and the smell didnāt give me a lot of confidence that it dried before it grew mold. I didnāt see any, but then again, I am not a microscope!
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@gardenstone Thank you, Rekka! I agree- this box screen was not the best choice for lavender (buds fell out while drying, and then there was a lavender tsunami when I tried to collect them ) but I like your idea of using it for the leafier plants- I just hung up some sage to dry, but perhaps I should try some on the screen tooā¦ thanks for the recommendation!
It sounds like youāve got several great ways that you dry your herbs- Iām glad youāve found what works well for you! Iām really gonna have to try the paper bag method, I see it comes highly recommended by so many people!
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