I am in a hot area, too. Herbs are the easiest plants to grow. I use dirt, peat moss, and perlite in my containers, and keep the soil evenly moist with a simple drip water system. I cover newly planted plants with burlap for a few days, until I see that they are not wilting. I feed with Dr. Earth Fertilizers; making a 'tea' and pouring it on the leaves every week.

Thanks for the advice. I've been having trouble getting any herbs to grow, actually. I don't a window that gets enough sun to satisfy indoor growers, and it seems too hot to put them outside when it's between 105 and 112. I had some basil begin to peek through, but when I went ahead and put in the sun, it turned brown and died... : ( Do you pretty much mix the dirt, peat and perlite all together? Or in layers?