Well, it depends on how much light you could give them in the winter, but there are quite a few herbs that can take being brought in for the winter - mints, bay tree, chives to name a few. You might also consider some annual herbs like basil, which likes full sun and is quite easy to grow.

Why not try some thyme, I've 3 different sorts on the balcony.
And purple basil is quite showy.
Agnes

hi, i'm from manitoba .i have been concerned about what to grow on my new balcony after having a huge backyard. herbs are a wonderful idea. i love the different textures and colors and smells. great idea.

What is your zone in NS? If it's at least 4, then you can actually overwinter some perennials on your balcony. The general guidline is to choose plants that are at least one, preferably two or more, zones hardier than your zone. So if you're in zone 5, you could grow almost anything, because there are loads of plants hardy to zone 3. I, however, live in zone 3, so I can't really overwinter anything, though a friend of mine did mysteriously overwinter some columbines in a pot next to the house. The only insulation it got was snow. I do wonder if it was just seeds that germinated though, rather than last year's plant actually surviving.

But anyways, regarding your actual questions, herbs do great in pots/boxes/whatever on balconies. Go to www.Richters.com for some really unusual ones, as well as the old stand-bys in all kinds of flavours and colours.

Thanks for this thread. I have wanted to grow herbs for years, and even bought everything I needed for it, but one thing or another happened with my free time.

My best window and fire escape face west, and the others in my apartment are SW but are shaded much of the day by another building.

Dropping by here has inspired me; I'll keep reading and maybe even see what I have left in inventory.

It's hard to overwinter herbs indoors, since they struggle in warm, dry indoor air and in any case need a period of cold winter dormancy. Best to give perennials such as thyme, sage, and chives some winter protection outdoors (wrap the pots in bubble wrap or in burlap padded with leaves or straw, but make sure they can still drain) and in spring replace the ones that don't survive.

Nearly all culinary herbs will thrive in full sun and containers. Richters is a good source but mostly ships tiny plants; start by looking for larger ones at nurseries and farmers' markets near you, to give them a chance of reaching a good size by fall.

Chives always survive here in my southern Wisconsin very cold and windy back yard. They are the first things up every spring. Mint, parsley, oregano also do fine. Parsley is a biennial though so you must use it in the spring the second year before it goes to seed.