With east-west orientation, my six-flat building has a corner that is the only sunny area, but it gets 3-4 hours direct sun each pm. Looking to grow -- in a mix of containers of different heights/sizes -- a selection of basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, thyme, rosemary, mint, and/or chives for all residents to use. Your advice on a) soil, b) watering, c) starting with seeds or seedlings, d) which herbs might share a pot, e) best varieties for area, f) timing, g) pest protection (rabbits, squirrels, insects), h) other suggestions you have. Thank you very much.

Hi,

Here are a few suggestions for growing herbs in containers. As far as the container make sure it has a drainage hole in the bottom. for size the alrger pots are easier to manage especially late in the season so 10 or 12 inch pots I think would work nicely. Fill each with a prepared potting mix that can be bought at any good gardencenter. These mixes offer a soil that is well drained and aerated. The basil, cilantro, dill are easily started from seed and they can be sown directly into the pots they will be growing. After sowing keep the pot moist and you should have real good germination. Pay attention to thining so there is room for the plants to grow and develop. The parsely can also be grown from seed but may be easier to start in smaller containers and then transplanted to the larger pots. The thyme, rosemary, mint and chives are best started with translplants bought from the garden center. I think that they should all have their own pot as they all can take up lots of space and would produce a better harvest if given enough room. Basil cilantro and dill can be sown when weather starts to get warm about mid May as they like warm soil and don't tolerate frost. The others can tolerate a bit more cold and could be planted earlier. After planting water as needed and about every two weeks use a general purpose liquid fertlizer to supplement the fertility as they will tend to not do well if soil nutrients are not maintained and won't produce well later in the season.