Well, we love Italian foods, so basil, and oregano, and thyme are "essential".

What I "have" is basil, parsley, and rosemary growing in my kitchen windowsill. There is oregano and thyme in the vegetable garden, under a row cover, covered in snow, so I'm not sure what condition they are in right now.

Based on some of your comments Digit, I really "want" to grow some lemon verbena, though the Territorial catalog says it grows 4 - 5', so I'm not sure where I would put it. The other thing I will try this year, is more varieties of basil. I just can't have too much of this herb.

Lost? Not sure what you mean. The only thing "lost" would be the annual herbs, such as marjoram, cilantro, and dill. ... well, okay, there is also the spearmint, peppermint, and lemon balm that I managed to kill off last year. I think I will try the spearmint again, keeping it in a container of course.

It's funny, I have been pouring over my seed inventory, trying to decide which tomatoes, and peppers to grow, but the herbs are always a given. They can be tucked into containers, or grown inside, if I run out of garden space.

Bonnie

Well, my herb garden is about 14 x 14. The big arched trellis I built a few years ago forms an entrance to it and I have one of those cheap but nice Walmart benches there to sit on. The Don Juan climbing roses on the trellis are still pretty puny, but did a little better than last year, so I haven't completely written them off. My little ones like to sit on the bench and crush different leaves in their hand and smell them.

1. Essentials which I have:
Parsley, in two spots. I alternate spots for this Biennial, so each year one comes up from the roots in early spring and can be picked the first half of the summer, and the other comes up from seeds strewn naturally from the previous year, and I can pick from this area the second half of the summer.
Sage - not sure which variety. I just picked two big handfuls the other day from under the snow, and washed the ice of them, chopped them up for the dressing for the Christmas Turkey. (I tried that brining thing for the turkey, which worked well)
Oregano - very useful, I use a lot in my Nouveau Sinfonian Chili recipe, spreads a little faster than I would prefer
Tarragon - Critical ingredient for Brnaise Sauce for grilled steaks. I have two clumps now. They tend to grow very fast in the spring to almost 3 foot tall, then they fall over, and small sprigs come up all along the length of the fallen stalk. It gets full sun so I don't know why they fall like that. This spring I need to set up some kind of small wire tomato cage or something to keep them standing all summer.
Basil - mainly the big leaf Italian kind. I have not had much luck growing it from seed, and have reverted to buying starts at home depot. A couple of times I've collected a ton of seed in the fall, but when it was planted liberally in the spring, not a single one came up. I wonder if there's some special trick about starting Basil from seed, or if I've just had bad luck. Also critical for several dishes I like to fix, particularly for Chicken.
Peppermint - It's my daughter's favorite one to smell, so I have it next to the bench
Cilantro - This is my favorite fresh herb, I use a TON of it for Mexican food. However, it's the one I'm always most disappointed with in the herb garden. It comes up from seed easy enough in the spring, and I can collect the seeds mid-summer, and the seeds are viable and grow well the next year. My problem is that it always seems to go to seed way TOO FAST! This year it seemed like it came up well, and was just about the right size and ready to be picked around the 3rd week of June. By July first it was already blooming, and all the leaves had shrunk up to those tiny little ones that happen when it's going to seed. It was already too late to pick any more. By mid-July the plants were already desiccated and the seeds were falling off. I didn't even get a chance to collect much seed before they had all fallen. I wish I could have fresh garden grown Cilantro all summer long like they have at the grocery store. I've tried planting at a couple different times, but that gets to be a lot of trouble. One year, I planted some the first week of September. It was almost big enough to pick when first frost hit. Surprisingly, it survived the winter, and I did get to pick a little bit in late March and Early April the next year when it came back up from the roots like the parsley. Any suggestions?
Rosemary - I have mine in a couple medium sized black plastic buckets. Around Halloween I dig up the buckets and put them in my garage for the winter. Otherwise they don't survive. I use it for roast chicken.

2. I also have
Marjoram (I think but not sure, it's very short with tiny leaves and woody stems)
Lemon Balm - was new 2 years ago. Seems to have spread like a weed by both seed and root.
Chives - kind of pretty

Non-herb additions and borders to the herb garden are:
pink grapes on the fence at the back behind the bench
Gooseberry bush at the back
Thornless Seedless blackberry other side of the bench - Not yet well established, but I did get a few berries last year.
Small yellow marigolds I plant from collected seed each year at the front border edge.

3. What I want is Cilantro I can pick year round, and Basil to come up from seed collected the previous year.

4. What I've lost..... Hmmm..... My enthusiasm for travel to any location outside my backyard in the summer. Me, the wife, my kids playing in the yard, stuff growing in the garden, flowers everywhere, a luxurious soft green lawn, a steak on the grill, and a good selection of beer in the old fridge in my garage. That's heaven. I don't need anything more than that, and don't want to go anywhere else!

Later,
Bruce
*I'll try to figure out how to post a pic

Bruce,

I would love to see pictures of your herb garden. It sounds lovely! I admit that I am a bit envious of how much space you have. My whole vegetable garden is only about 6 x 12'.

Same problems here with the cilantro. I tried sowing it again last summer after it went to seed, but once the heat sets in here, it seems to go straight to seed once it germinates, LOL. Maybe try it in a more shady spot?

With the basil, you could try either starting it indoors, or wintersowing it. I have had good results both ways, but I have never direct sown it before. Maybe something was eating the seeds?

I can relate to your feelings of not wanting to leave in the summer! Last year, my DH decided we were going to Florida to visit some of his family. I was completely stressed out about leaving the garden in the hands of my neighbors. There were a few losses, mostly pots on the porch that didn't get watered, and it looked like a jungle when we got back. At least I was able to not think about it once we got to the beach : )

I just remembered two other "losses" from last year - sage, and chives. In defense of my horrible track record last year, it was my first summer to garden on the western side of the state, and I didn't realize it was so much hotter, and drier on this side of the state. I will definitely plant some things in shadier spots than what the seed packages recommend this time.

Gardener in training,
Bonnie

Essentials:
Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Mint, Savory, Dill, Lavender, Chives

Have/Had:
Basil, Rosemary, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme - mother of, lemon & lavender, Winter Savory, Lemon Balm, 3 different Lavenders, 3 Sages, Chives - regular and garlic, Mint - spearmint, Koren Mint, Parsley, Burnett. Herbs that I have, but don't use Rue, Echinacea

Want:
Cilantro/Coriander, Basil (that will survive), Tarragon, dill

Lost:
Stevia, several basils, my mind on several occasions but it was worth it.

Dafy

Bonnie, it looks like you are coming to terms with your losses. The first stage is denial, LOL.

I don't think that annuals that survive until the first freeze can be considered a "loss."

I'm not the most knowledgeable person on the subject of herbs. I look at the sage offerings (that sounds a bit metaphysical ;o) in Richters and realize that I've never grown any but the most common. I didn't know until about a year ago that French tarragon could overwinter outdoors. And, is thyme an Italian herb?

I like your idea for tarragon support, Bruce.

I dont use herbs very much in the kitchen unless one counts cilantro. Still, plants that have a pleasant fragrance appeal to me. I once had a brazilian rose scented geraniums no real good reason why. These kinds of things may have affected my mind and I've gone a bit dafy.

Cilantro is a troubling weed. I finally asked on the herb forum how it is that the supermarket has it 12 months out of the year but I've got it for about 12 days. Some wiser gardener told me that it is grown in greenhouses. Bink!! A light came on.

The cilantro plants that grow the best for me have survived the Winter (and most of them can) and survived my Spring cultivation (it's only possible if they aren't in the way). And, then I buy it at the supermarket 11 1/2 months each year.

I plant parsley every year - it is really easy and the seed is cheap.

digitS'

I am a huge cilantro fan. I buy the seed by the lb, which lasts several years. I grow it best in 4" x 4" x 4' cheap plastic window boxes, where I can get a really rich, high nitrogen soil, and keep the moisture constant. I usually cut it once, grow it again, and cut it a second time, then start over. Sometimes one can drag it out to three crops.

The price per lb has gone up considerably, last time I bought a sack, it was $8 a lb. Still have most of that left. Maybe worth while in here to start growing my own seed out in the garden somewhere. A 3' by 3' patch would give at least a lb of seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: cilantro seed source

I grew Sweet Marjoram for the 1st time this year. They are strange looking little plants. I understand that it is called "knotted" marjoram because the small round flower buds resemble knots. It never seemed to actually flower. I've got quite a few plants under the bench in the greenhouse. Smells good, I may try making sausage again sometime . . .

And speaking of knots - have you ever thought that the pattern of a knot garden may as well just be random? I was once trying to figure out how the neighbor's knot garden was designed. Since I couldn't discern a pattern, I discounted her talents thinking it must be just random.

Then I wondered why that wouldn't work. Just step onto the cultivated ground and then go back and drop a stepping stone wherever my foot prints are.

d'S'

Well, we're not very far along on the herb garden path, but I'm looking for some distraction this morning so I'll play...

Essential - Rosemary. We use on pork and chicken. It's one of my favorite scents. Basil, needs no explanations! Parsley, because it's so utilitarian. And chives, also pretty utilitarian.

Have - all of the above, if the parsley and chives come back. I also had some marjoram, oregano and catmint in the the garden this year. Got some creeping or fuzzy thyme from the fall swap - hope it comes back. Had pineapple (thought it was chocolate!) mint in a pot. It may not come back, but I have a water plant going.

Want - I was thinking about trying cilantro next year, but may reconsider based on comments above. I don't have space to fiddle with something so fussy. I'd like to have some tarragon. We're hoping to build a cat enclosure next year and I'll try planting some catnip or catmint in it. Finally, I don't know if this counts, but I'd like some lavender.

But what I really want is enough space to do a proper herb garden with gravel paths and maybe a little boxwood hedge around it. And a sundial. Something European looking. Maybe the French villa to go with it!

Lost - Well I guess I won't know until next year what the tally might be. But I can say that the lavender plant that I brought from Seattle last year didn't survive the winter of '06-'07. Also the chocolate mint in a pot that also didn't survive last winter.

"Want - I was thinking about trying cilantro next year, but may reconsider based on comments above. I don't have space to fiddle with something so fussy. I'd like to have some tarragon. We're hoping to build a cat enclosure next year and I'll try planting some catnip or catmint in it. Finally, I don't know if this counts, but I'd like some lavender."

Cilantro isn't fussy nor does it take much room - or, at least, it doesn't seem that fussing helps and any room it takes is quickly made available to something else. I'm wondering how it is if it's bagged and tossed in the freezer.

The cats are really, really hard on catnip. I read somewhere that foxes like it, too. It seems to like to show up out of some sort of shelter. I moved a brush pile last Spring and uncovered a beautiful catnip plant - didn't even know it was in there.

Be sure you get French tarragon to go with your French villa, Alice. Apparently Russian tarragon is only purchased by people because it can be started from seed. For culinary purposes, cooks are downright persnickety about the French and not the Russian.

Lavender is nice - especially a tiny sprig in a cup of tea. I like to put a lavender flower in my shirt pocket. Some folks do other things with it.

Why doesn't someone mention rosemary with roast beef? I prefer it to thyme which I've had and used for a coon's age with beef.

digitS'

Definately will have French tarragon Digit. Russian would be so gauche with the French Villa, don't you think?

I've never considered rosemary with beef, but will try it as we like it so well.

If you have the room, like a square yard somewhere, both cilantro and parsley will establish self-perpetuating stands. Parsley, being a biannual, is pretty easy - I just threw out a few packets of flat leaf on the ground in the early spring, and its been going now for several years. I believe that both parsley and cilantro have some sort of chemical mechanism that inhibits other species of seeds from germinating, because there is very little weed issue.

A stand of cilantro is a bit more complicated, because it will get huge, with big stalks becomes pretty much inedible. I've had some luck with bending over / snapping the stalks so the seed heads dry and drop off, but its pretty hard to go out at any given moment and pick a mess of cilantro. In the garden, its a lot like dill, it just sorta shows up year after year.

My window box method is pretty straight forward, just fill them with potting soil, sprinkle the seed so its about 1/2 to 1" apart, soak the surface and maybe cover with plastic wrap for a couple of days, as soon as it sprouts, I water it with Miracle Grow, every time, and within two - three weeks, I can get a good cutting. As I said earlier, I'll usually get a 2nd cutting, but by then I often get aphids and its just easier to start again. I dump out the soil, fluff it up and pull out the roots, and plant again. Cilantro seed is supposed to benefit from a freeze cycle, but I'm not convinced.

This is one of those occasions where I go with the more sterile approach and use chemical fertilizers in lieu of compost and manure and so on, mainly because I do it all year around, it can be hard to adjust the Nitrogen content, and I like to just go in and snip it off and eat it, without worrying about nasty microbes and so on.

Re French Tarragon, this past summer, we made several batches of dill pickles with copious amounts of tarragon in the jars, they're wonderful. And if you are a hot pepper fan, anything that likes green chili likes tarragon, and better together.

David, are you growing the cilantro indoors, year-around??

The tarragon with pickled cucumbers sounds good. So much better behaved than garlic cloves, I'm sure.

d'S'

Rosemary is wonderful with anything beef (you can also use lavender in anything you would put rosemary in), or tomato sauces, pork dishes or stems used as skewers for shrimp. Savory (winter or summer) in beef dishes is really good.

Digit, why rosemary in place of thyme, why not both? Rosemary, savory, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard powder, garlic & onion powders rubbed into a beef roast makes a yummy crust.

Tarragon is really good cream sauces, cheese dishes, chicken and fish. I also made a jar of pickled cherry tomatoes that has a bunch of tarragon in it. Those are really good mashed as a salad dressing base; they're a little too strong by themselves.

Cream sauces . . . I need to learn better - a double boiler was intimidating but a microwave . . . ?

Dad does these strange things with spices - puts a little bit of every spice at hand in a very simple dish of a couple ingredients. Then he proudly gives you a spoonful and waits for you to tell him what's in it. Can't taste a thing but guess anything, you'll be right.

I go for simple seasoning! And, if more variety is desirable, someone with more knowledge than I had better make the choices.

digitS'

Steve, I do cilantro all year around. The plant is basically a weed, and is surprisingly frost tolerant. I usually have 4 of the window boxes going, which keeps me in 3 or 4 generous cilantro sandwich wraps a week, a solid two inches of cilantro rolled up in a flour tortilla, along with what ever leftovers that look good. If its too dark, it can get leggy, but any time its sunny out, I take out the plants for an afternoon and they love it. Moisture, high nitrogen, and it grows like a weed.

I've not wandered too far from the common herbs....

ESSENTIAL:
Sweet Basil: eat almost daily & make pesto. I let a few basil plants get flowers because the bees love them.
Thai Basil: good in quick & easy stir frys
Mint: I have plain, pineapple, spearmint, chocolate, (for tea) & ice water
French Tarragon (overwintered for me last year): I LOVE this herb & eat several times a week with a little canola mayo, chicken, tuna, or salmon on top of salad greens
Parsley: for everything, soups, pesto & put in my green smoothies (super easy to grow from seed & I threw a packet of seeds underneath the green bean teepee & they grew all spring & summer
Chives : love them in salads & on potatoes

HAVE: Common herbs tucked in a 10'x4' raised bed. Few varieties of thyme (Lemon Thyme is my favorite for cooking), Bronze fennel was beautiful in the herb bed although I didn't use for cooking, catnip for my kitty (he loves it), lemon balm, sage, oreganos, marjoram, chives, dill for pickles.

WANT: More sweet basil and more varieties of basil, more mint (for making mint jelly to give as gifts), cilantro & thinking about trying David's method in the boxes (full sun?). I just planted my first lavendar plants this past fall since moving to Colo; I planted them very late (Nov) but I covered them with a frost blanket, so we'll see if they survive.

LOST: Cilantro, which I love, but I've never had luck with it so far. You would start cilantro right now, David? Hmmm...

I forgot to mention that Johnny's, the site I linked to above, has 'split' mono germ seed for cilantro, and is the cheapest per lb. The normal round seed has two real seeds, and they split it for you.

I replanted two trays yesterday.

Or, you can split the cilantro seed by putting it in a plastic bag and running over it with a rolling pin.

My most likely use for chives is in scrambled eggs or, of course, the baked potato/sour cream route.

Charlene , the fragrance of Thai basil is simply wonderful.

d'S'