New to this type of gardening...

[Sweet Petunia]

I have been gardening for years (more years than I would like to admit) but I have only attempted an herb garden 1 time...last year..and my thumb doesnt seem to be as green with herbs. I would like to plant them in a window box or container on my front porch. I did this last year but most of them died!! I was heart broken!! I just don't know what I did wrong!!
Is it okay to just use commercial potting soil or should I use garden soil?I also will admit that I have no idea what to do with some of them when they grow. When do you pick them? Boy that sounded like a dumb ol country girl didnt it?? "When do you pick them there herbs? They just look like a darned ol weed to me!!" LOL But I have no idea when they are safe to pick. I have been reading through the other threads but I would sure appreciate some good planting tips if you would be kind enough!! Also...is it safe to plant them next to eachother all in one large box?
I'm a veggie grower!! But I want to 'expand my expertise"
Do you plant them in the Spring like a vegetable garden?

[hendi_alex]

Don't feed dumb about the use thing. My wife and I are avid cooks and use lots of herbs. But when deciding on herbs to plant, my main question was, "what are we going to use this stuff for?" So we started out with very basic herbs that we knew we would use. Basil and parsley are musts for us. We use both in all kinds of things, especially in the summer. Oregano and thyme are used much less, but are very easy, and always sit there with branches ready for pinching. We planted rosemary as a large shrub but only use it occasionally, though it is nice to brush the foliage when enjoying a walk in the yard with a glass of red wine. We grow a few more herbs but use them very little if ever.

As far as potting soil goes, most is too dense, holds too much moisture, and needs to be lightened with some perlite or other such soil amendment to enhance drainage. Also, our summers are very hot with afternoons being extreme. Most herbs say full sun. I would amend that to say morning only full sun, when in an area with brutally hot afternoons. We try to place most of our herbs in a morning only location and they tend to do very well. All day full sun would be o.k. if the plants were in a well structured, fertile soil. But even in the ground here, the sand is so poor and dries so quickly, for me a morning sun only location seems to work best.

BTW, we do plant both fennel and dill each year, but those go in the butterfly garden as a food source for the butterfly larvae. We only harvest a little dill from time to time for that wonderful dill potato salad that my wife makes.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Sweet P, you are far enough south to grow rosemary in the ground (wish I was), sage is also perennial (turkey day is even better with your own sage stuffed bird), as is oregano, marjoram, thymes, ( I have lemon thyme (on chicken or fish? Puh-lease and thank you!)and English thyme. Tarragon comes back yearly for even me (the French don't do green beans without it and we make a tarragon mustard mayonnaise that is good on ANYTHING) Turns into a shrub, you can supply the neighborhood...

Anyway these are all herbs that you plant once and you have forever (well longer than a year or two, anyway). They are all easy to grow, forgiving of poor soil (In my climate overfertility is more of an issue) and most importantly, are one time purchases. Recipes come easy if you like eating like I do, just try it out. I don't make Italian food without adding fresh rosemary, oregano, and thyme and it's amazing what it does for jarred tomato sauce, and if you have tomatoes, waddaya doin' eatin jarred souce? Fuhgeddiboutit! You can make sauce for months in one good bout on a Saturday, because now you have almost all the ingredients. Use all you want; you have plants outside making more just for you...


Basil and dill and fennel are annuals you can add in every year, just leave some spots in your design (I grow a row of 'Genovese' in the veggie garden, as we are nuts for pesto, but keep a spot for 'Spicy Globe' in the herb border, closer to the kitchen).If you are a cook and a gardener, this is very rewarding stuff. Have fun with it!

HG

[Sweet Petunia]

WOW I had no idea that I could plant Rosemary in my garden!!!! That is so neat!! I use that on my baked chicken,,and lots of other dishes. And sage is a perennial??!! Gosh I didnt know this stuff!! You can tell I have a LOT to learn!! I also appreciate the info about the amount of sunlight!! I planted some in a large window box last year and hung it on my porch railing. Most of it burned up. The others didnt seem very healthy. And like I said, I didnt know when I was even supposed to pick it!! So it all went to waste. I looked all over town for sage because fresh sage is one of my most favorite!! It makes a HUGE difference!! I use it when I make Thanksgiving dressing and everyone likes mine the best!! I love to use fresh herbs but they are usually pretty expensive and I hardly ever have them when I need them. I looked all over town for a sage plant last year but I guess I looked too late because no one had any. So I have already bought seeds. I hope to plant them next week but I wanted to find out what type soil to use. So potting soil would keep it too moist? I also have a problem with dirt that dries out very quickly. We also get very hot here. Last year when I went to water the herbs (which I would usually do once a day or every other day) the soil would be like a brick!! So potting soil with perlite? Do they put out herb plant in the Spring like they do most other garden plants? I have never paid any attention. Last year I planted them in mid summer...what I could find anyway.
Thank you for your help!! I will continue reading through the threads. This board is very informative!! I'm learning all kind of stuff!!

[rainbowgardener]

Just pick the leaves (all the stuff like basil, sage, oregano, thyme, etc) whenever you need some. To me it's a great joy to just walk out in my garden and pick what I need for dinner... That goes for veggies and herbs. And fresh picked herbs are wonderful (though not quite as potent, use in bigger quantities than the jarred stuff). Then in the fall cut everything back, bring it in and dry it and put it in jars to get you through the winter.