I'm sick of paying top dollar for a measly handful of fresh herbs - that are usually moldy from being repeatedly sprayed by the produce sprinklers.

I bought flat-leaf parsley, greek oregano, basil, cilantro, sage seedlings and a rosemary bush. I also planted italian oregano and chive seeds. I've had to scramble through 2 late frosts, but I haven't lost anything yet.

Any varmints or particular diseases I need to watch out for?

Rabbits and deer always, if you have catnip then neighborhood cats.

Basil will get black spots if it is too wet for too long of a period, so be ready to pick it and make a freezer full of pesto if that starts. Once the stems start turning black, it's on it's last legs.

Japanese beetles love basil, so keep an eye out for them. In our area that's July, if you have already planted, it's probably much earlier.

I like your mix, good choices.

You will be feeding all sorts of creatures unless you get proper screening and netting. You might do better growing in pots than in the ground. I grow several herbs in pots and keep them going all year inside and out as the seasons change. Rosemary and basil I also grow in the ground and take my chances.

I haven't seen any japanese beetles yet, but I spotted a gypsy moth caterpillar today.

No catnip, so I assume the nieghbor's cat will continue to focus on our bird feeder.

The deer won't climb the fence and I never see bunnies, but there's an abundance of squirrels and chipmunks. I've grown all of these before (except the sage and parsley) but elsewhere. Hopefully, no major new tricks to learn.

I guess you can tell by the mix that I'm into Mediterranean recipes. ^ I might add some mint later.

Great idea! Main pests will be slugs, but if you've got your plants in pots they should be safe. With the basil and oregano etc don't let them flower - pinch out the flower buds, otherwise they will just go to seed. You could also add lemon balm, mint (but keep it confined or it will take over, especially in damp ground), lemon grass (will need to be kept warm), bay tree and savoury. If you like to experiment a bit find a specialist herb seed place (mail order) as there are so many different basils, mints etc. I grew a fabulous lemon basil last summer, really intense flavour.

And herb seeds make great travel souvenirs (quarantine laws permitting!)

I put the rosemary in the ground. I had a whole backyard full of it in CA, it was planted as a border. The rest of it's in windowboxes which I will move as the season progresses. Right now they're on the front porch so I can yank them inside quickly if another dadgum frost is predicted. Later, they'll head for the rear deck, then back to the porch when summer heat gets cooking. Keeping them close to the door allows me and Mrs BamaVol to scan them frequently for disease and pests. If I have to net them, I will.

Slugs! (sound of hand slapping forehead) How could I forget? I guess it's been a long winter. They're a major pest and nothing stops them. Mrs BamaVol puts petunias in pots on the front porch and killing them (the slugs, not the petunias) is a nightly ritual in the summer. The last thing I want to do is use any chemicals. I'll stick to beer (not a bad way to go) and salt.

You guys have inspired me! I have an area in my backyard that is crying out for pots and herbs.

But I've never tried anything like this before as we have a gardener . Is there a good book or something you could recommend to get me started?

Back when I had a flat lot (and no deer), I had a wonderful large formal herb garden filled with things I can't get at the market - six different kinds of sage, sveral types of basil, etc. Being able to get the things I couldn't easily find was the big draw for me. Snails were my biggest problem, but I put out beer traps and also the copper rings around the plants, although that got pretty expensive. I also spent a lot of time picking snails at night ... it was quite nice when the local school had an escargot feed and students knew my garden was organic so came and picked the snails for me.

The biggest thing to avoid is over watering. Herbs like very little water. Also, pinch off the buds immediately or you'll lose all the flavor of the herbs. Pinching new growth from the top will also keep your plants nice and full. I had my herb garden separate from my veg garden, but what some people do is plant veggies and herbs that go together in the same beds - so put your basil with your tomatoes, for example. Each is supposed to benefit from the other.

I have so many wonderful herb books, including cookbooks for things like yummy lemon verbena muffins... if you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

Rodale's Illustrated Encycolpedia of Herbs is kind of the bible on herbs. Herbal Companion magazine is kind of fun too.

I have lots of lavender growing. Also Italian and curly leaf parsley. The former self seeds very well (do note that parsleys are biennial so dies after the 2nd year when it seeds). Rosemary grew well but got really thrashed by heavy snowfall this year. Otherwise it's fairly hardy. Marjoram grows good, as does chive, lovage, sage (bit too strong smelling), tarragon and various mints. Thyme just seems to hang in there. The lovage has to be be dried early as the flavour gets too strong.

I second being careful with mint in the garden. It can become invasive quickly by seed or roots.

Not having much luck with basil the past few years. Might want to pot a thai basil that's a perennial and bring it indoors in winter.

Just hope that your climate will let your cilantro grow slowly, or it'll bolt into coriander. The trick apparently is to grow/seed every week or two if you want lots of cilantro leaves.

Do note that you can get a different type of chive allium (onion family) that survives mild winters. The normal chives die back in the autmun (or you can put it in a pot and bring it indoors).

As for slugs, you can always put a copper ring around your herbs. They seem to leave mine alone w/o any aid.

p.s. anyone wanting lavender seeds, give me a holler. I have lots.

We have an old and established herb garden that gets refreshed anually.
Thyme,sage,oregano,mint,rosemary all come back year after year.Basils and parleys,and cilantro,get planted fresh(just put some in Monday actually)
If cold winters are a bother then planting in pots that can be covered makes sense.
Many herbs are actually deterents to pests.
We don't have a deer problem-so that might be different for you.
Am thinking of getting one of those new indoor plant systems so that we can have fresh leafy herbs when it is cold outside.
Good luck-the key is to plant densley and heavily-making the herbs a part of your landscaping.

We had a very small herb garden. All in pots on our kitchen porch - out of the elements and weather extremes.

It isn't hard and little maintenance. As previous poster mentioned, don't over water. For us who magically kill every living thing we touch, we were amazed how they survived despite our doing.

My mom used to keep her mint plants contained by planting them inside a buried styrofoam cooler with drain holes cut into its bottom. It seemed to keep the plants from spreading out.

I'm growing Basil, Oregano, Mint, Rosemary, Parsely, Chives, Thyme and Sage indoors in Seattle with a NE facing window. It's been a challenge getting enough light to them, but they are doing well. I haven't had any luck at all with Dill.

It's a great hobby,and I like the smell and the green, but if your main goal is to save money, you may want to take a closer look at it.

I got into it because I thought I could just buy a basil plant for a few buck and not have to pay 2-3 bucks each time I wanted herbs at the grocery store. Now, four years and hundreds of dollars later, I'm convinved it would have been much cheaper to buy them at the store.

But I'm glad I have my garden. And, yes, it's worht it.

Cromely.

Sage and rosemary last through the winter here so my plants are quite old. I grow basil and parsley from seed every year. My basil seedlings are about ready to be transplanted...I think all of this odd cold weather has set them back a bit. I made the mistake of planting mint in a bed once...now it stays in pots. I have never had luck with thyme or oregano.