[Svadhisthana]

I don't have a yard (live in an apartment) but, I have wonderful Southern exposure on my deck. Which herbs/plants would grow best(in pots) in this environment? I was thinking maybe tomatoes(roma) and some herbs. I tried growing from seed,but my 2 year old did a little "gardening" of his own and they didn't make it. I'm going to just buy from the farmers market and transplant. Thanks in advance for any tips.

[Papa]

Dear Svadhisthana:

When I lived in Athens, Greece, I was in an appartment as well. I found that I could grow almost anything in pots.

Remember that some herbs get leggy in rich soil which results in a woody look. Keep your herbs trimmed while they are green. The more you cut and use them in your cooking the better they look. Because we eat herbs a lot of times raw and we wash them just with water, do not use fertilezer or any chemicals.

Basil does great in pots, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, sage, ... . In Greece every house has a basil pot on a window. It is a tradition and it is believed to bring good luck. Rosemary is a good method to control unwanted insect concentration. It is for that reason that during the First World War, they kept rosemary pots in military hospitals in Europe.

[Svadhisthana]

Thank you, Papa. I will keep that in mind. I was planning on growing basil, it's one of my favorite herbs.

Should each herb have it's own pot or can they share soil? (for example, half basil/half cilantro)

[Papa]

Dear Svadhisthana:

I always mix herbs in pots.

Remember that your edible garden can also look beutiful. I always combine different shapes, heights and colors. You will need to control their growth by trimming them (as you use them in your kitchen) so that the most vigorous ones do not overpower the other ones.

In my garden in France I used rosemary, sage (it has the most beautiful blue flowers) and lavender for borders. Lemon thyme (a favorite one of mine mixed in drained yoghyrt) in rock creations, and so on...

Just use your imagination, know that you will make mistakes in the beggining (we all did!) and enjoy the end result!

[Svadhisthana]

Thank you again, Papa for the wonderful advice and such a quick response time. I'm so lucky to have a wonderful source of information at my disposal. I will keep you updated as my "garden" grows.

I have had a wonderful harvest from my "farm" for years -- about 3 1/2 square feet on my back porch in the middle of the city. This is the sunniest spot I have and I give it with pleasure to my herbs.
Each herb has its own pot so that I can water more or less. Some seem to enjoy sandy soil, others a fairly rich mix. The pots have been collected over the years so each herb has its very own -- the celedon pot for the tarragon, the pot with the silly painted cow for the basil, etc.
The most important thing is buy the herbs for flavor! French tarragon is the best. As is French thyme with English a close second. The other thymes -- Dot Wells, lemon, Golden, etc. -- are lovely ornamentals but what you want here is MAX flavor from the small space. Italian oregano beats the Greek. Plain big-fat-leaf basil -- not Thai, opal, whatever. Flat leaf Italian parsley.
My new baby this year is Corsican mint that has round leaves about 1/8 inch across and was the mint used originally to make creme de menthe. It is so cute! - A culinary chia pet! And the flavor is amazing. I gave some to my daughter who is growing it between stepping stones in a semi-shady garden. Plain spearmint is the most yummy thing.
In general, get the old, strong true herbs for flavor is you only have a bit of space. Many of the cultivars you will find in garden centers are decorative and interesting but if you're gonna cook with them, go for the classics!

[Svadhisthana]

Thank You Margaret,
That is good advice. I am much more concerned with flavor than appearance. Unfortunately our deck overlooks the parkinglot, so any greenery will be a refreshing change of scenery. I can't wait to get started, I think I'll head out this weekend for plants.