(1) Chives and mint and basil do not dry well, especially chives. These are best frozen to retain colour and flavour. I personally don't think coriander dries well, either, but many people find it OK.

For parsley (and coriander if you decide to do it), I find it easiest and best to use the microwave. I put sprigs onto a plate which has been lined with paper towelling, and zap for, say, 1 minute on HIGH. By then, the paper will be sodden, so I change it. I then zap in decreasing time increments, starting with 30 seconds, then, as the herb begins to dry out, no longer than 10 seconds. In between zaps, I stir the herb around, changing the paper in the early stages as needed. Once it's crispy and easily crumbled, I just let it cool completely, and put into an airtight container, label and date.

Parsley really holds its flavour and colour when done this way.

You can choose to dry herbs in other ways, however. With things like oregano, rosemary or thyme I simple pick sprigs, put them onto a rack which has been lined with paper towelling, and leave them on my dining table to air-dry. My table is close to my back door, so there's plenty of air circulating through, and it's in shade - the best place to dry herbs. I turn them from time to time, and change the paper as necessary. It's easy then, once the herbs are dry, to strip the leaves off the stems, crumble them and use the paper as a funnel for pouring into a container.

You can also dry herbs in the oven. This is best done on the lowest possible oven temp, again on a rack lined with paper towelling (thought any dish will do as long as you spread the herb in a thin layer - you don't want to steam it). It's important that you leave the oven door ajar (I use a teatowel to hold it in position).

You can also tie sprigs into small bundles and hang them in a cool, airy, shady, dry place until dry. If you put the bundle inside a brown paper bag, into which you've punched plenty of holes around the sides, dust and bugs will not affect the herbs inside, and any bits that fall off won't hit the floor!

Of course, you can always dry herbs according to manufacturer's instructions in a dehydrator.

(2) Take a trip to your local hardware store or gardening centre and buy some thick, clear plastic according to the measurements of your balcony. You can then use it to make a 'tent' or hothouse to protect your plants over winter. If you have plenty of them, they'll create their own heat and humidity - you probably won't need to water them much over winter, since they'll all be dormant. You can always make individual 'tents' around each pot, making sure the plastic does not touch the leaves. Old wire coathangers make good 'tent poles'. It would also be a good idea to put the pots on 'feet' so they don't touch the very cold balcony floor surface. Or else put them on plant stands, making sure no plant sits immediately above another. Stagger them. If it's really, really cold, you can put a small heater inside the tent - a little coal brazier or outdoor heater is ideal. You may not need it on during the day if you get sun in the area. Try to make the atmosphere non-smoky. A breath of fresh air during the warmest part of the day will be beneficial. You can make a little 'door' for the purpose by cutting through the plastic, and using duct tape or similar to seal it closed.

I would agree with daisyduckworth that chives, mint and basil retain little flavour when dried. I also think that cilantro and parsley also have little taste when dried and are better frozen.

Overwintering parsley, coriander, oregano, rosemary, thyme, chives, basil, and lemon mint: Coriander, parsley and basil are best treated as annuals; buy new plants next year. Rosemary is tender and should be the one that you bring indoors. For the others which will benefit from dormancy during winter, buy styrofoam rose cones, one for each plant, at a garden centre and gather some bags of leaves or straw from friends with yards. Once the plants have entered dormancy in the fall, water well then place a rose cone over each plant, stuff with leaves and place in the least windy and least sunny part of your balcony. Next spring, when the crocus start to bloom, uncover, water and move to the sunny part of the balcony.

See below for how to overwinter roses, most of the tips also apply to herbs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering Roses

When I grow basil, I do dry it in a dehydrator and it seems to work very well. Parsley dries fine to, but loses about half its flavor. You just can't get that fresh taste in winter, so a dried herb is better than none. On the other hand, chives seem to only work well when freeze dried, and thats not something we can easily do. My winter wild onions produce a chive like green that can be harvested all winter long, provided its not buried under snow. Coriander is the fruit (seed) of cilantro plant, the leaves do not do well when dried, but the seeds are fine for a long time, and only need natural drying a few days. Oregano, thyme, and rosemary all dry well and I have also dried these in a dehydrator. The reason I suggest a dehydraor is because the herbs dry out much faster, so they tend to have more flavor. None are as good as fresh though. When I use dried rosemary, its ground up into a powder as it can get quite woody. Most mint will not taste as good as fresh, if its dried.
Obviously if you want the freshest flavors, they do need to be fresh. Some can be frozen like basil. Not sure what plantig zon your in, but if its Z6 or lower, most of he plants listed will not survive a winter.

Hello! I'm new to the Herb forum, though have been on GW for a couple of years. I've been putting together planters with several Herbs suitable for teas, along with a little teapot, as gifts. I'm wondering if any of you can recommend some of you favorite tea herbs to make them a bit more interesting. Currently, I'm using Black Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, German Camomile and Dog Rose. Here's a pic of on of my planters. Thanks! Kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:170344}}

Thanks for the suggestions! It's so hard to know what will work because I'm a beginner and this is the first I've had to worry about it =).

I do have a storage closet that I might be able to use. It doesn't get overly hot nor overly cold, and I might be able to put something down there, so that could be an option. No sunlight there, however, so I imagine that wouldn't work, now that I think about it.

I will definetly keep all of this in mind as I research overwintering options!

Your plants will need plenty of light, so in your situation, you should invest in some grow-lights. Don't forget that most plants like to sleep during the night, just like people, and that they will sleep through the winter, just waking up briefly during the day (real or simulated) for a little snack or two, and a 'breather', just barely enough to keep them alive.