What to do with my herbs for the winter

[maverickvt]

Hi everyone,
I was given 15 potted herbs by a friend. I live in Northern Vermont and it is already turning colder. I want to keep my herbs alive through the winter but I a not certain what I should do with them. They are currently inside but I do not have a lot of room and I was wondering if they need to be near light? If they will survive the winter as fresh herbs or not. I'm just at a loss here and really do not want all these beautiful herbs to perish over the winter. Any help would be fantastic.

Thank you!

[maverickvt]

Thank you for your response. The herbs that I have are; Basil, Parsley, Golden Oregano, Catnip, Spearmint, Germander, Golden Sage, German Thyme, Chives, Greek Oregano, Peppermint, Curry and Lemon Balm.

[applestar]

In my zone 6 garden, catnip, spearmint, chives, peppermint, and lemon balm are hardy perennials and even though they seem to die down after frost, will regrow every spring. In your location, even if winter temps can get colder, I suspect you'll have abundant snowcover that may help to protect them better than the often dry sub-freezing winter that I have.

In my garden these are planted directly in the ground. In containers where the roots are "exposed" above geound, they can get winter-killed to roots freezing solid, and it's better to bury the pots at least halfway and/or provide plenty of winter mulch. Placing the containers in a protected area e.g. against a south-facing may be helpful as well.

[bangstrom]

Basil and Parsley are annuals and they make nice "window sill" herbs if you give them plenty of light and keep them pruned over the winter. They can live long if they don't go to seed. Catnip, Spearmint, Peppermint, Chives and Lemon Balm can be planted outside and they should survive the winter. Thyme, Sage, Germander, Oregano, and Curry can be pruned back to little or nothing and kept on the dry side. The roots should remain dormant if they are kept cold but not allowed to get much below freezing. They can also grown indoors but they get scraggly and leggy if they don't get enough light.

[Runningtrails]

I doubt that rosemary will be perennial in Vermont. It's not here.
I bring some of my tender herbs indoors in the fall in pots to grow in a sunny area, the rest are left in the garden.

Parsley is a biennial here and will come back the second year, then go to seed and die.

All the mints (includes lemon balm and catnip), sages, chives, oregano and thyme are perennial here in zone 5. I just leave them in the ground.