Growing herbs

[alexsmommy]

What system do people use to grow herbs? I used to have a kit with fairly small pots, but I was single and didn't cook as much so the amount was fine. I tend to use a lot of basil (regular and lemon), oregeno and thyme in the summer when I can get it fresh. I've considered just a large pot, but I'd love some creative ideas if others have them.
I also have a very active squirrel/rabbit/opossum (ick) population around our yard so I'll have to find a way to cover the plants if I want to have any chance of actually getting to use the fruits of my labor. Any not too ugly solutions?
I am not a gardener at ALL. I actually hate gardening, but I felt like I spent way too much money on herbs at the farmers market when I know this is something I can grow.

[elephantmeg]

I stuck a basil plant in my flower bed last summer and it was awesome. It looked great, smelled great and was usefull. I also had an oregano plant (which I never used!). This year I'm planning on doing the same with basil, mint and rosemary. I bought seeds yesterday and am going to try to grow them from seed. We'll see!

[jayali]

I grow herbs right through the fall. I have small "barrel type" planters that I got at Lillian Vernon on sale a couple of years ago. I put them on our side porch plant a few of each herb in each pot, water and that is it. We have lots of squirrels and rabbits and I have never had an issue with my herbs - my tulips and other bulbs are another story! I mix it up except for my mint. I plant mint alone in it's own pot and it grows like a weed. It looks great and smells awesome( i usually buy a couple of different types of mint). I usually tuck some in my cut flower arrangements!
As long as you have a sunny location and remember to water you should be fine. Basil has to be "pinched" on top if it starts to flower or it will go to seed, which you don't want until the end of the season. Also, the more you use the herbs the more they will grow. My line-up is usually, Basil, oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, mint and sage. I will also pick up some new ones at the nursery every spring when the planting bug inhabits my body. Don't buy too many of each because they do spread.
Good luck

[lizajane]

i use terra cotta pots from any hardware store. very easy. just put potting soil in and go...

to be more specific:

rosemary doesn't like wet roots. it is a good idea to put some small gravel at the bottom of the pot, then the soil, then the plant to insure good drainage. and do not overwater. full sun.

thyme is, i think, the other one like rosemary. same thing.

basil will want a lot more water and will grow much faster and bigger. don't put too many seeds or plants in one pot or they will crowd each other. pinch the leaves off of the stem and more will grow back.

sage needs less water than basil but more than rosemary, in my experience.

oregano is closer to basil.

i am trying to remember here, so just correct me when i am wrong!

all full sun. and all pinched off. don't just grab a handful and yank! be sure to get the stem for basil, sage, etc.

rosemary and thyme last all year. mine have been outside all winter, even in snow. my sage is hanging in there... but barely. sometimes my oregano comes back, other times now. basil has to be replanted every year.

ETA: if you grow my favs above- rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and sage, pinch off equal parts... pull back the skin of a whole chicken and shove it all UNDER the skin with some olive oil and minched garlic. bake (skin on, just with everything under it). cut off skin, remove herbs, slice and yummmmmm...

[Nyfeara]

Whatever you do, keep the mint in a pot, do not plant it in a bed. It will spread like crazy and it's a major pain to get it out.

I've planted some herbs in a small raised bed and also kept some in a window box type planter on the front porch. We've planted parsley among some of our regular plants b/c the butterfly caterpillars love to eat it & dill too. We planted it near our butterfly bush. You couldn't really see it from the street, but we like to watch the butterflies from the window right near the bush and we get the monarch caterpillars nearly every year.

As the OP said, the rosemary and thyme actually last thru most (if not all) of the winter (I'm in PA). Chives are pretty easy too. Some of my parsley comes back, but I usually wind up buying one other plant. I've found that dill is harder for me to keep around, it seems to be very susceptible to the heat & sun.

I've read about planting them in strawberry pots or some of those stacked type planters too.

[alexsmommy]

Thanks all - especially Liza.
Yes, my mother is from the south and a big tea drinker. She grew mint and I think of it as ground cover, not as a plant lol.
Liza - I love sticking fresh herbs under the skin of poultry - I do what you said, plus butter under the skin and a little white wine in the bottom of the pan and yum!

[DrSally]

I grew some last summer on the inspiration gleaned from a thread here. I took 2 large pots and filled them partially with packing peanuts off freecycle and topped off with potting soil. I did flat leave parsley (goes with everything) in one and basil in another. I started them from seeds inside in one of those seed started kits from Walmart. The Parsley was pretty hardy, the basil tended to wilt in the heat. Both liked a lot of sunshine though. I also did 3 smaller pots on my kitchen windowsill

[niccig]

I have terracotta pots. Basil has to be replaced yearly, but you can keep the others for several years. 5 years later, I need to replace my sage and majaroam and a few others - they got woody. I start with small plants. Potting seed and that's it. Rosemary grows in several spots in our garden, so I've always got a tonne of that.

[MamaKath]

I always get small plants to plant in big pots and put it on my porch. The kids "adopt" different kinds each year and help with watering, cutting, etc. You can also put them in hanging baskets on a shepherd's hook or porch.

Oh and if you get caterpillars on your parsley, they are swallow tails. They will eat it all if you don't remove them. I love butterflies, but that gets costly quickly (we did get them to the point of cocoons one year).

[alexsmommy]

I always get small plants to plant in big pots and put it on my porch. The kids "adopt" different kinds each year and help with watering, cutting, etc. You can also put them in hanging baskets on a shepherd's hook or porch.

Duh! Of course, why didn't I think of that. I always get two hanging plants for the enclosed front porch. This is perfect. I will put them there - no bugs, no pests. Brilliant. Thanks!