Herbs make ideal low-maintenance container plants, mainly because most thrive on minimal water and food — within reason, of course. In the case of mints, a pot is the only way to go unless you don’t mind them galloping through your garden beds.
Another practical reason to tend a herb garden above ground is convenience for the cook. I cluster several terra-cotta pots around the base of a fig tree near the kitchen door. It’s easy to step outside and snip a handful of whatever I need at the moment.
Many herbs are ornamental, such as variegated sage and lemon thyme. Rosemary and bay can be trained into topiaries. Purple basil adds contrast, as will a few pots of edible flowers, such as nasturtiums, calendula, violets or lavender.
At the end of the season, I thoroughly water the perennial herbs and store them in an unheated garage over winter. If I think of it, I water them again in January or February if they seem bone-dry, otherwise they stay dormant and undisturbed until spring when I haul them out into the shade to acclimatize for a few days. (The rosemaries and bay winter indoors near a sunny window; they grow year round and don’t go dormant.)
Once new growth commences in spring, everyone gets a trim and a weak dose of organic fertilizer. Then it’s back to the back door in full sun for another reliable supply of fresh herbs at my fingertips.
Very helpful information, particularly regarding different preserving /drying methods for different herbs. Thank you.