My method is to buy the cheap seeds at the dollar store, put them in the dirt outside and let God take care of them. Works 99% of the time. Sometimes God tells me to water them, for heaven's sake! Otherwise it's hands off unless I pick them. I've never had luck growing herbs inside. I don't think I can get the light and humidity right just setting them on a window sill. My house plants like certain windows better and let me know in just a few days when I've put them somewhere they don't like. Which herbs do you want to plant?

Thanks for answering Pinch-- Ah.. so i Might be doomed for indoor planting? I want to grow basil, cilantro, oregano at least and maybe a few others. there is nothing better than fresh basil and cilantro, but the closest i ever get to it is from the market or at restaurants..

I started an herb garden about three years ago just outside our kitchen door. I also grow some things in pots inside.

The outdoor herbs do great. Honestly, I seem to have the best luck with the clearance stuff that's in greenhouses right now. Plant it now, mulch it well, water it, and see what comes back in the spring. Most of it will, and it will do better the next year. A great thing about herbs is that many are perennials. Once you get them started they will do well year after year with little care. (A big exception is basil - it's an annual.)

I have had luck with starting parsley and chives from seed but usually I go with nursery plants for everything else.

I have a sage plant that grew from a 4" pot into a bush about 2' in diameter. Thyme does really well (I've had especially good luck with English thyme, mixed luck with other varieties), as does oregano. Mint will take over if you let it. If you plant it with other things, sink a big plastic pot into the ground and plant it inside that to keep the roots contained. I like 'Kentucky Colonel', it's great for mojitos!

I can't grow rosemary outside (zone 5 and soil is not right) so I put that in a pot in a north-facing window in the kitchen. I also grow basil indoors, especially now, because the slightest little bit of cold kills it. Plus I use that all the time so it is nice to have it handy. Small leaved bushy varieties usually do the best inside, and look the best in the pots, in my opinion. My father-in-law's basil gets so big he uses a tomato cage to support it! I think right now I am growing 'Pesto Perpetuo' and it has been doing well in the pot since April, and it has small and pretty leaves.

I give them lots of water (every other day or so) the first few months to help them get started, but after that, I pretty much just leave them alone.

In the winter I buy herbs like Basil and Dill already growing in pots from the grocery store and grow them in a very sunny window and use them as long as they last. When they die, I replace them. Rosemary really needs a greenhouse in your climate.

Parsley should do well in your climate as it likes the cold.

You might try a cold frame to get a longer growing season.

The Cottage Garden forum seems very friendly and I'm sure they would help you especially if you explain why you're posting there.

You'll need supplemental lighting and to be very careful about watering to really be successful in growing herbs indoors. Spider mites and fungus gnats can be a big issue too, and you can't nuke the herbs with insecticides because they're edibles. If you're OK with the extra care requirements, then you can grow some simple ones indoors like basil and you can overwinter some tender perennial ones like bay and rosemary if you're not in a warm enough zone to keep them outdoors. I've had a bay tree in a pot for 25 years by overwintering it in my sunroom with a hanging fluorescent light and cheap plastic shelving unit. It gets spider mites about 3 out of 4 winters and I have to put it in the shower and soap it up occasionally to get rid of them.

Really though, you're better off setting up an outdoor space to grow them. They'll be much happier. They like marginal soil, so the poorest most unimproved soil like around your foundation close to your kitchen door is ideal. Too rich a soil or too little light and they become leggy.

And you really needn't fear going into any of the garden forums except maybe Landscaping. But, remember to not take any stranger on the net personally. They're invisible gnomes sitting around in their underwear. DOn't be afraid of them. Use them like you would an encyclopedia and brush off any "extras" you might get. Even the Landscaping Forum is pretty mild compared to most of the rest of the net. The "heat" here is more of a Bic lighter than a full out napalm flame war that most places have.

Another vote for plants already started. I'm not an experience gardener either. I find it's more cost effective to spend a bit more for the started plants. If I can see it, I remember to water it. When I try to start from seeds, I'll forget to water, or my kids will "help" and end up overwatering. The seeds go to waste, and it becomes a cycle of buying seeds, soil, etc and it ends up costing more in the end. Aparently, actual plants aren't as exciting to my kids as trying to sprout seeds.

I've only ever tried indoors, so take any advice with a healthy dose of salt ; )

I buy my herbs as plants too. You have a new house but if you had an old one don't plant near the house. I had my kids tested for lead while we were renovating (no issues) but the doctor told me the story of parents of twins. One kid ate nothing healthy - junk food, no veggies, etc. The other ate lots of veggies (from their garden) and fruit. The 2nd one had extremely high levels of lead in her blood - just because the garden was next to the house and all the lead paint scraped off over the years was in the soil.

Our garden was ripped up this year so we planted tomatoes and basil along the driveway (a few feet away). The tomatoes are tasteless and it took 12 basil plants to have 3 actually survive. I think that soil was too "poor". Just my experience.

It is very difficult to get plants started from seed without very good light. And even once started, indoor herbs are difficult because most like strong light. You have to have practically direct southern light or light supplemented with gro-lights. Parsley and cilantro tolerate some shade and are possibilities in pots from good transplants (such as are available this time of year). There are books and sites on herbs indoors that help guide you to which are best, and most are not the Tuscan herbs! Basil for me, even in some strong winter southern light, still struggles indoors in winter and I've come to view my herbs as seasonal--I feast on basil during the summer, make some pesto for the freezer in late summer and even now, and then I have parsley and cilantro (which do not like our summers here but which can survive light freezes) and winter greens in fall and winter and through spring until the heat hits.

A compromise is to get a small but not too small pot of basil going in late summer(from a 3-4" potted transplant) and keep it in the sun outdoors until you just have to bring it in, keep it well-pinched to keep it from flowering and seeding, and then bring it indoors and keep it going for awhile longer. Basil is an annual so it will want to expend itself. You may be able to have a potted rosemary, which is perennial, that you bring inside for winter. In my zone, my rosemary survives in a pot right outside the door, which is a warmer micro-climate.

Sorry, I can't tell you anything about herbs, but I've been following the "negativity" thread with some interest, so with that in mind, I thought I'd wander over to gardening to see how those folks are doing.

YIKES, YIKES and MORE YIKES!!!!!

I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a hammer on the first (and only) thread I perused. I couldn't get back "home" fast enough. So much for my trip to the wild side!

The kerfuffle here this week is like amateur hour. And thank goodness for that.

BTW good luck with the herbs. And as we do use herbs in the kitchen, so I think this is a very appropriate place to post.

Wow- Thanks for all the info!! So my next question is: I live in a very wooded area with LOTS of wild animals. Mostly wild turkeys and deer with the occasional fisher cat, coyote and fox...
Any suggestions on keeping the turkeys and deer away from the herbs? I know ,I know. I really am an amateur at this Thanks again for taking the time to help this lost soul!!!

Hi Gilly
I live in the Midwest and dont have a lot of time for seed. I buy the herbs in small pots from the nursery in the spring and plant them in a strawberry jar and keep it on my patio. I plant a different herb in each opening and put a garlic chive in the top just for its pretty flowers. I snip what I need as I cook. When the cold weather sets in I cut the remaining herbs and either freeze them or dry and crumble them for use in the winter. Use a good soil free potting mix and water daily when it is hot. Some herbs such as cilantro, peppermint and oregano will take over the garden and I find it easier to control them in the pots on the patio.
So what if other people are snippy and rude. You will always find friendly people with good advice. Ignore the rude and ask all the questions you want. We have all posted our share of dumb questions. Its the only way to learn! I too find the cottage garden and perennial forums to be the most user friendly. The landscape bunch are an odd crowd, I think they tend to be professionals and don't have a lot of patience for beginners.
Good Growing
Sadie

A cheap way to keep the animals out is to make a fence of chicken wire; you will have to put the wire down or some type drainable blockade at least a foot below surface as well to keep out the digging critters. As for me, I just buy the plants and keep on the patio until they die. When I first rescued my Rottie he ate all my tomato plants, a Thai pepper plant (no pep's yet) and the basil plants. I'm not bothering to plant again until I can put in a raised bed.

I bought an "organic basil" at the market because it was more leaves for less money than the harvested basil. I thought it would like my new garden window (Southern exposure). It doesn't really. The tag says as much sun as it can get, but it's too much, and the poor thing dries out too fast. I wish I could figure out what it would like. I'd plant it. Sigh.

Good luck! I've never yet had a happy kitchen plant, other than an air rooted epidendron. I was hoping for herbs, too.

Good luck!

Another thing to consider is plants want that 10 degree temperature drop at night as if they were outside. Don't water with softener water, collect rain water or visit someone with a well or cistern. I've found for the trouble to keep them alive through the winter it usually isn't worth it. Pick your herbs and either dry them or freeze them. I am wintering hot peppers again this year from plants that are several years old. The only reason I do it is for my parrots.

How about an aerogarden? It sits on the kitchen counter and the lights are on a timer. You could just buy the herbs kit. I got one for my mom for a gift and she loves it. There's an online outlet that has them sometimes.

Love this thread....thanks Gillylily for posting! I usually kill all my plants and garden flowers, and I have wanted to start herbs, so great information here everyone!

I am not sure if I missed the weather zone you are from, but I did not see it.

You mention that your preference is for Basil, Oregano and Cilantro and it's already fall. Unless you are in California or Arizona/NM/Texas (warm states), I do not think that Basil and Cilantro would work outside. They are definitely summer herbs.

You can still grow Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Marjorum and Parsley. They're wonderful plants and most likely perennials in most zones (sorry, they are definitely in California where I live but I do not know about other zones). I'd prefer to get pots rather than seeds, given the time of the year. Also, with herbs, there is so much genetic variation that you never know if what grows out of your seed would be a decent quality (I've tried growing Greek Oregano from seed and it had no flavor).

If you must keep them in pots, choose large pots, at least 16" diameter (and correspondingly deep). I have mine in 12" pots; they are ok but the size is quite compact. Also, get at least a couple of herb pots per variety. You will be surprised how much you eat in one shot!

Regarding Basil, when you do get it after frost is over next year, plant it in the ground. I've grown mine in a pot and have learnt that it grows much better in the ground.

Regarding fertilizing, I've grown herbs successfully for past 6 years without fertilizing them (ever, and I mean ever). However, you can apply Fish Emulsion if you feel guilty about neglecting them.

Good luck with growing herbs. Home grown herbs are great; and you will enjoy stepping out and pinching just what you need and use it fresh. It cannot be beat!

Oops, I noticed that I wrote "Good luck" -- did not mean it in the sarcastic way -- really meant "Best of luck".

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I may continue buying herbs until the spring since I live n New England. Maybe i will give a few of the more forgiving winter herbs a try.. Thanks again for all this info!!

The occasional spats on the garden forums are much like the appliance wars on the home forum.

:)

Gillylily- Try the cottage garden forum. People are very friendly and we all joke about our latest gardening experiences and occasional disasters. Some of the people are very experienced and others are quite new, but it's a lot of fun, with very friendly and helpful people.

As for your herbs, mediterranean herbs like sandy soil and less water. They don't grow well for me, in my clay soil, but they grow great for many people. You can find all kinds of lists on the internet, by typing in mediterranean herbs.

The herbs that grow well for me are english lavenders (especially hidcote) dill, almost all mints, bee balm, catmint, sage (purple sage is neat), basil and sweet woodruff...kind of invasive, like mints, but very pretty.

The herb forum will have a lot of info. If you're afraid to post right away, just do a search at the bottom of the page. They have a lot of great information and don't forget to look for pictures :)