Ok, I know this probably seems like a Food and Dining thread, but it's a house question too.
I want to start growing spices inside my window box. I already have mint that is nice and healthy, but I really want a nice selection. What spcies do you grow, and more importantly, which ones are hearty? I am infamous for killing my plants...what I can grow that will survive?
back home i grew basil, parsley, chocolate mint, and rosemary really well. I tried it here in houston but I put them outside and forgot about them and they died. I think I'm going to try the window box though and keep them inside this time around.
Oregano is a tricky sucker. I never really could get it going. It likes the heat and basically needs to bake in order to grow but you have to be careful because if it bakes too much it will die too.
chives are really easy. Basil is always nice to have around, and cilantro evens things out well. I think that would be a good combo and those are all fairly easy to grow.
We have basil (3 types earlier this year), rosemary (currently 5 plants in the ground), flat leaf parsley, Kentucky Colonel mint, chocolate mint, sage, and thyme. The only one we can't get to grow is cilantro.
Rosemary, thyme, and mint are pretty hearty and tough to kill. I think those are generally pretty resistant to cold weather as well, so they should be fine if you put them in the ground. However, you don't want to put mint in the ground--its roots take off like crazy and it gets uncontrolable. I've heard you can put the pot in the ground though and that will keep it contained.
I think all of the plants I listed will do well in a window box. I have had problems with teeny little white bugs on parsely and cilantro when I was growing them inside. Once I took them outside though it wasn't a problem.