Mint on its own.

Coriander on its own.

Basil on its own.

Thyme on its own.

Rosemary on its own.

Window boxes are quite small. All these plants either become quite large, or spread over large areas. Simple as that. I honestly cannot imagine a mature rosemary or basil in a window box. A bit like an elephant trying to squeeze into a matchbox really. Of all the plants you've chosen, thyme would be the happiest, I reckon.

Is a window box the long rectangular one, almost 18-24" long? That is the one I was thinking about.

What size pot or box would you grow these herbs in? I plan to buy the little plants and repot them.

Thanks,

Charlie

mint: can get up to 1 metre tall, and spread as far as the eye can see into the horizon, and beyond.
coriander: 60cm tall and about 40cm wide, and it self seeds widely - I usually suggest leaving a space in the garden at least 1 metre in all directions.
basil: 1 metre tall with a spread of about 30-40cm. That's what most books tell you. Frankly, I think this size plant is a dwarf. Mine get much taller than that, and at least twice as wide.
thyme: gets to about 20cm tall (can get quite a bit taller. Mine is about 30cm and only 3 months old) and will spread to cover a circle about 1 metre in diameter, often more.
rosemary: Mine is more than 1.5 metres tall, and at least that wide - after trimming it back by one-third recently.

Judge how big the pot needs to be for yourself. Visualise 1 metre as a yard (it's actually about 39 inches).

For best results, think of planting any plant upside down. If the top bit fits into the pot without being scrunched too much, that's the best size pot to get. Plants differ, of course, but it's a good idea to think of the above-ground bits, and the below-ground bits as roughly the same size if the plant is given the freedom to spread. That's why horticulturists advise watering plants in a circle measuring roughly the same as the widest parts - the 'drip line'.

Of course, any potted plant will be stunted to some degree. The optimum sizes referred to above are those of mature plants in the garden. I still think only thyme will be happy in the size box you mention - using it as a pot. Even then, it could be cramped.

Thanks daisyduckworth.

Sounds like these can only be grown in a garden then. I just live in an apartment with a huge window.

charlie

If what you have is a window box, go a head and try it! Any kind of gardening can be enjoyable. If you are gardening in a window box, you may wish to check out the container gardening forum here. I'm sure that group would have lots of valuable information for you.

That said....both the rosemary and thyme are going to want well-drained soil and are going to resent overwatering of any sort. I would put those and possibly other plants like lavender and sage that like similar conditions in one box.

Mint, basil, and cilantro could co-exist in one box. You could add other plants like parsley to this one as well. These plants like like more medium moisture level.

As noted, some of these plants can get large. Regular harvesting and trimming can keep these plants to a more manageable size. And just having them in a container will restrict some of their size as well.

Good luck and have fun!

FataMorgana

Be sure to keep your mint in a container. As has been stated many, many times in every post about mint, it is extremely aggressive. I would only plant one of the more miniature types of basil in a mixed container as the traditional Italian pesto types get far too large. When I do a window box, I like to put my cilantro (or dill) between other plants. Since it is short lived, the other plants will have extra space to 'breathe' once it dies.
Besides pairing plants with similar cultural needs, the key with window boxes or any mixed container planting of herbs, is do not put too many plants in it. An 18" box should have no more than 3 plants, 24" no more than 4. Increase that number by one if you are planting cilantro or dill. You should be able to get a season of growth before they outgrow their container this way.

When you say window box do you mean that the box will be inside or outside the window? If you mean inside then the plants will behave differently and probably be more dificult to keep going than outside. Daisy lives in a sub tropical climate so her herb dimensions are fairly generous. I've never got basil bigger than two feet tall because my summer is just not hot enough. Rosemary is a different matter and a metre high is par for the course. However, if you are happy to treat your herbs as temporary residents you can just replace them when they get too big. You don't mention chives or parsley, both of which would be managemable in a window box.

I plan to put the window box or pots on the window sill inside, not outside. I don't have one of those outside window box spaces.

I live in NYC. Not too tropical.

Thanks for the suggestions everybody.

How about basil and tarragon with maybe pansies in there, you can use the flowers on salads and cakes. In the other rosemary which grows forever and gets a woody stalk, and if you like mexican food cilantro. Again split with a flowering plant in between, maybe a geranium. They should do well in the apartment. I would plant the mint in an indivdual clay container with a pan under it for watering. If you go out to Long Island there are a number of nice nurseries that have wonderful healthy plants.