I suppose I should list the herbs that I am growing, because maybe for some herbs, they may not survive winter no matter what I do. (I am fairly new with growing herbs, so I am still learning.)

1. basil - 3 kinds
2. parsley
3. Dill - dwarf fernleaf
4. Sage - white
5. Tarragon
6. Thyme, English
7. Oregano - 'Kent beauty'
8. Peppermint
9. Rosemary - 'blue spire'

10. Lavendar = 'coconut ice'

Only the tarragon and peppermint survived last winter.

Jim

1. basil - 3 kinds Annual. Won't survive winter temperatures plus it is an annual which means 1 growing season life cycle.

2. parsley biennial. Two-year life-cycle ending with a blooming and fruiting phase. If it bolts (blooms) in its first year, it will not come back the second year.

3. Dill - dwarf fernleaf Annual. 1 growing season. No coming back either. Although it spreads its seeds quite vigorously.

4. Sage - white - White Sage Salvia apiana is hardy to zone 8. Sorry, not hardy in NJ. Try regular sage, salvia officinalis. Comes back every year for me - I'm in Western NY State.

5. Tarragon - French tarragon is a hardy perennial in your zone.

6. Thyme, English - Common Thyme is a hardy perennial in your zone but needs lean, well-drained soil.

7. Oregano - 'Kent beauty' - Should be a hardy perennial in your zone.

8. Peppermint - A hardy and vigorous perennial in your zone.

9. Rosemary - 'blue spire' - The variety "arp" is one of the more hardy rosemaries and I have not ever been able to over-winter it. I know other gardeners in my area that have. I didn't check the hardiness for "blue spire" but I would try a variety like "arp" noted for hardiness.

10. Lavendar - 'coconut ice' - Plant files say this variety is one of the english types and is hardy to zone 6a. I've had the best luck with "munstead," another english variety. Lavender, like thyme, needs lean, well-drained soil to survive.

FataMorgana

Thanks, FataMorgana, for your analysis. In summary, three of my herbs (1,2,3) will need to be restarted every year, and four (5,6,7,8) are definitely hardy. Sage will be hardy if I switch to the regular kind. Two (9,10) are marginal. Lavendar might do better if I switched to the "munstead" variety. Rosemary may be the only herb that would benefit from the cold frame idea.

The herbs that failed last winter may have failed because they had been transplanted from pots, and may not have had a chance to rebuild their root systems before winter. Perhaps I should see if the Thyme and Oregano survive next winter before trying the cold frame idea.

Judging from another thread on this forum about mint, maybe I should have left my Peppermint in its pot, or plant it pot and all in the raised bed, to prevent spreading. Earlier this year, I pulled up and gave away half of it.

As for the Dill, I suppose I can 'preserve' it by seed. If I let it drop its seed in the bed, I feel I will not have enough control over where it grows. But I am not sure how best to harvest the seed, and when to plant it.

You said that Lavender and Thyme need lean, well-drained soil to survive. Does 'lean' mean not much compost? My herb bed is well-drained because I mixed a lot of sand with the soil, and the raised bed helps drainage. I automatically water the bed with a timed drip system. Do the Lavender and Thyme prefer less water? If so, I can move the drip stakes further away from them.

Check back within this forum for ways to keep dill weed under vacuum in canning jars. allowing it to go to seed will make it sprout everywhere in your garden. Mine is coming in cracks of my walk, and around areas where it could never grow if I planted it there. Mine is mammoth and is over 5 foot tall and all is start to form the seeds.
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Wow ! ksrogers,

Your dills and basils are really mammoth.And still growing!
My dills are getting tired and old. What do you expect with daily highs of over mid 90s for nearly 2 months? Georgia is hot. New England has generally very nice summers. I have lived in Connecticut(SW) for many years. I have heard that you have had a very wet and cold season so far. Last week wee had couple of TStorms that dumped about 5 inches of rain. That was nice! I don't need to water my gardens for another week.

KS, your greenhouse looks very much like the one in Bertha Reppert's herb garden in Mechanicsburg.

Thank you for sharing your lovely photo.

If you are somewhere that frost line penetrates to a depth of , say, 18 inches it would be very difficult , if not impossible to winter certain plants and herbs.
But if the winter is not that harsh, you can winter them by a simple method: pile up lots of dry leaves on your plants, (about 2 feet high, semi compacted) cover with black plastic sheet, nailing it around so the wind won't blow it away. Also make sure that water will not get under it. This way, the ground heat loss will be minimal and will be replenished.Usually, ground temperature is higher than 50F(way bellow)maybe more. The dry leaves, with lots of air trapped between them, will act like an insulatoer.
Also, black plastic can absorb sun heat.
If you get a lot of snow, to cover it, it will act like as insulator too; i.e. better than bear ground under harsh cold.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect that being buried under leaves and black plastic will not loved by sage, rosemary, thyme, or lavender. I suspect that they would rot under such conditions.

If you pick the right plants for your zone, they can do very nicely with minimal special handling.

Here's a picture from the first winter with some baby sage (s. officinalis). They are now very robust going into their 3rd year. No mulching and they are in an open bed with zero protection. My lavender and thyme have similar conditions.

FataMorgana