suggestions for herbs that grow well in zone 5a?

[ubermenche]

looking for advice on the following, thanks!

herbs that grow well in zone 5a (Colmbus,OH) to be exact

whether I should get the said herb from plant or seed

and if you have any suggestions on organic seed online mail order websites please share!

thanks for any help!

[rainbowgardener]

Well to start with, anything annual like basil, chamomile, dill, fennel, parsley (actually a biennial, but usually grown as an annual) it doesn't matter what zone you are in, because you are only going to grow it through the season. So those are good places to start. Basil is very easy to grow from seed, but the time to start is now (mine is already sprouted--indoors, of course). The others are a little more challenging from seed and slower.

Are you interested in culinary herbs, tea/medicinal herbs, or ? Is your garden full sun? There are some herbs (lemon balm and mints are great examples) that will do well in part sun areas, but most of them are full sun lovers.

Perennial herbs that are hardy in zone 5 include bee balm, lemon balm, thyme, mint, some lavenders, sage, anise hyssop.

Oregano is cold hardy for me in zone 6b, but I think maybe not for you. But some of the tender perennials like oregano and rosemary can be grown in pots and brought in for the winter.

Along with the basil, oregano, mint, and thyme are very easy from seed. The rest I would start with plants unless you have a lot of seed starting experience.

That's just a quick starting place, I'm sure others can add more, especially if you tell us more about what you are looking for and what your growing conditions are.

[jal_ut]

I grow sage and oregano as perrenials.
Dill, basil and parsley as annuals. I direct seed these in the garden.
Basil can be grown in a pot.

Some of the seed for herbs is very small. These better be started indoors.

[lily51]

It just depends on how many you want of each. For just one or two of each, I would just buy the plants; if you want rows,then try to start from seed. Some, like rosemary and sage, are slow growers, though.

I'm in Ohio, about 60 miles north of you. Keep basil inside until it really warms up, which is a bit earlier for you than me...I wait until Memorial day. There's lots of kinds of basil for a nice variety of flavors and aromas.
Oregano makes it through the winter for me, as does sage (most times), chives, and thyme. I buy new rosemary every year, but there's a thread somewhere here about getting rosemary to overwinter in the house.

I would say as rainbow did, any annual will do well, as it's just for the summer.
Enjoy! herbs are a great addition to any garden and kitchen!