Planning path

Herb Garden Planner

Plan kitchen herbs from sun, drainage, container access, annual and perennial life cycles, frost-sensitive moves, harvest timing, and source-backed herb catalog entries.

Herb garden setup checks

Prioritize sun and drainage

Place most culinary herbs where they get strong light and well-drained soil; use raised beds, containers, or amended soil where wet roots would be a problem.

Keep aggressive spreaders contained

Use containers or separate planters for mints and other spreading herbs so a useful kitchen planting does not overrun mixed beds.

Split annuals, biennials, and perennials

Group basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, sage, lavender, and similar herbs by life cycle, winter hardiness, and how often they need replanting.

Use containers for access and winter moves

Keep frequently used herbs close to the kitchen and use movable containers for tender perennials that need protection before frost.

Harvest for flavor and regrowth

Snip leaves and sprigs during active growth, harvest many culinary herbs before flowering for best flavor, and cut mint-family herbs above leaf nodes for bushier regrowth.

Avoid overfeeding

Use soil tests and moderate fertility; overly rich soil can push lush growth with weaker flavor in many herbs.

Regional herb checks

Pair herb catalog entries with regional annual herb rows, protected starts, direct-sow windows, frost-sensitive basil timing, and local heat or humidity limits

• Willamette Valley Oregon Garden Calendar OSU checks parsley, cilantro, chives, protected basil starts, mint-family rows, and late-summer cilantro/parsley windows
• Alameda West of East Bay Hills Planting Guide UC checks Bay Area herb rows for basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, sage, tarragon, and thyme
• Eastern North Carolina Planting Calendar NC State checks eastern annual herb rows for basil, cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley against heat, humidity, and solar intensity
• New York City Area Vegetable Planting Guide Cornell checks chives, cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, fennel, summer successions, and late-summer herb rows

Herb seed candidates

• Santo Cilantro Cool · Carrot · 50 days · direct sow 21 days before last frost
• Common Chives Cool · Onion · 80 days · direct sow 14 days before last frost
• Bouquet Dill Shoulder · Carrot · 55 days · direct sow 7 days before last frost
• Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Shoulder · Carrot · 75 days · direct sow 14 days before last frost
• Common Thyme Shoulder · Mint · 90 days · transplant 14 days after last frost
• German Chamomile Warm · Aster · 60 days · direct sow on last frost
• Common Borage Warm · Borage · 60 days · direct sow 7 days after last frost
• Florence Fennel Warm · Carrot · 80 days · direct sow 7 days after last frost
• Common Anise Warm · Carrot · 120 days · direct sow 7 days after last frost
• Common Summer Savory Warm · Mint · 60 days · direct sow 7 days after last frost
• Genovese Basil Warm · Mint · 68 days · direct sow 14 days after last frost
• Common Lemon Balm Warm · Mint · 70 days · direct sow 7 days after last frost
• Broadleaf Sage Warm · Mint · 75 days · transplant 14 days after last frost
• Greek Oregano Warm · Mint · 90 days · transplant 14 days after last frost
• Munstead Lavender Warm · Mint · 90 days · transplant 14 days after last frost
• Arp Rosemary Warm · Mint · 120 days · transplant 14 days after last frost

Supporting planning paths

• Herb Catalog 16 source-backed herb entries
• Container Garden Planner 15 herb entries fit containers
• Part-Shade Garden Planner 6 herb entries tolerate part shade
• Direct Sow Garden Planner 11 herb entries can be direct sown
• Transplant Garden Planner 10 herb entries can be transplanted
• Seed-Starting Tray Planner 10 herb entries include indoor-start timing
• Garden Soil Prep Planner Check drainage, texture, and moderate fertility before planting herbs in beds or containers
• Planting Calendar Tool Map herb starts, direct sowing, transplanting, and harvest windows to local frost dates

Source basis

• Clemson Extension herbs Herb landscape use, drainage, containers, moderate fertility, annual direct seeding, perennials, and aggressive spreader cautions
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY Planting Guide for the New York City Area New York City Area Vegetable Planting Guide regional herb source
• CSU vegetable planting guide 2 entries cite this source
• NC State Extension Eastern North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs Eastern North Carolina Planting Calendar regional herb source
• OSU Extension An educator's guide to vegetable gardening Willamette Valley Oregon Garden Calendar regional herb source
• Penn State Extension growing herbs in the garden Herb garden sizing, life-cycle grouping, annual and perennial herb planning, and garden integration guidance
• Seed Savers seed saving guide 9 entries cite this source
• UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County Growing Vegetables Alameda West of East Bay Hills Planting Guide regional herb source
• UMD Extension growing herbs in containers and indoors Container drainage, indoor light, potting mix, watering, pruning, annual replanting, and moving tender herbs before frost
• UMN companion planting guide 1 entry cites this source
• UMN Extension growing herbs Herb light needs, indoor starts, transplant timing, watering, container care, harvesting, and flavor-focused regrowth guidance
• UMN starting seeds indoors 4 entries cite this source