Hmmm... I'm not so sure about those minimum soil temps for germination. Last year, I wintersowed basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, marjoram, spearmint, and cilantro. I had germination as early as March, and I can guarantee the soil temp. couldn't have been anywhere close to the 70 degrees listed on that chart. Our last frost isn't until the end of May.

I put most of the herbs in with my other vegetables, but if the perennial ones, such as oregano, and thyme get too big, I may have to relocate them. That was my first year for a veggie garden, so maybe someone that has been doing it longer can give you more advice as far as space requirements. The good thing about herbs, is that most grow really well in containers, so if you don't have space in the garden, you could grow them on the porch, or in a windowsill.

Bonnie

Herbs in the garden. I usually make places they can exist by themselves. I do have annual herbs I put in with the vegetables. The main herb I co-plant with is basil(basil does love its own row and does do much better without the competition of the tomatoes). Tomatoes love it. I really don't know if it benefits them though. It is supposed to increase their flavor. Growing organically and growing hierloom tomatoes they are terrifically flavored already..(Using compost really makes great maters).

Marigolds which are a flower not an herb but you can eat them...really do work to keep away bugs. I have found they also keep the cats away...no cat scat where I have marigolds. I plant the small stinky varieties around in the veggie garden (these will return on their own...at least they do for me).

Perrineal herbs really do need their own space. they need somewhere where they can be left to do their thing.

all mints with the exception of lemon balm need their own home with protective root barrier( I use old wash tubs to plant it in) to keep them from encroaching on others spaces...also make sure you keep them from laying down on the ground outside the barrier...the plants will self root where they lay.

Lemon balm usually grows in a mound that gets larger and larger. It doesn't jump out of bounds easily. I have had it self seed in very fertile ground. (I don't mind when the plants wander around the garden. If I don't like where they decide to root...then I just pull or grub them out). It is a lovely mint, not growing over 24 inches high.

If you have a small yard it is easy to tuck in herbs in lots of places. many of the herbs grow well in pots.

In the list you provided in your link.

Chives are great in pots...and tuck well at the ends of rows of veggies.

sage is good in pots. A couple of plants around in the garden are nice. In my area it doesn't winter over too well...it is to humid.

Dill and fennel...beware.......... they are annuals..but are supposed to emit something that decreases the growth of stuff planted in the area the following year. Maybe someone on the list knows what and how that works...I am not knowledgeable in it but have heard of it.

Lavender...if you are in an extremely hummid area it is hard to raise. and if you try make sure you have it in an area with lots of air movement and in a raised bed.

rosemary...if you want to bring it in for the winter...plant it in a pot..it detests being dug up.

thymes...have fun...they love to be in places like rocky areas...and in nooks and crannies...just make sure it is not in a place that gets overly damp. Don't forget to get the lemon thyme (not the varigated one if you want flavor) It is suppurlative for flavoring chicken and fish.

Bonnie, that's interesting that you had success wintersowing herbs. I had never heard of doing that. The freezing temps don't kill the seeds? When do you put the seed out, January or February? Don't you have a blanket of snow all winter out there in Colarado? Germination in March, so you have herbs that you can harvest in April already? Doesn't the freezing and frosts through the end of May kill the plants? What herbs are the easiest to wintersow, or can you wintersow all herbs?

Gardenweb has a wintersowing forum if you are interested in finding out more and they are very helpful with questions. I usually interplant many of my herbs in with other vegetables. It started out that I tried to pay attention to some of the "companion" planting advice but now I just do what I want. I put a clump or two of thyme in the same bed I do cabbages, scatter dill all over (it reseeds readily and you may never have to plant again), sage did well in among my tomato plants as did some of the smaller type basil plants. Basil can get big so I did give a few of the larger types their own space. As the above poster said, lemon balm does get big and mounds up nicely. When I was in zone 6b it overwintered and became shrub sized in a few years. I would experiment, I really love the diversity interplanting gives you. Lori

Gbig2, when you wintersow, you sow the seeds in plastic recyclables that create a mini-greenhouse affect. I sowed the hardier herbs and veggies (spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, parsley, thyme, oregano, spearmint, chives) in January through March, and the more tender ones, like basil, I waited until early April. Even though I had germination in March, the containers allowed the sprouts room to grow until I planted them into their permanent locations in mid-May. I did have to use the tops of the 2L bottles as cloches a couple times when temps dropped below freezing, but this year I will probably just cover the whole area with a row cover if needed.

As far as snow cover, it is not consistant, unless you are actually IN the mountains. Where we are it is considered a high desert, or mesa. That said, we have had snow on the ground for the past month, but usually it's more off and on.

Here is a link with more info on winter sowing. It is a great way to grow from seeds, when you don't have a lot of room indoors for a grow light set-up, or have a greenhouse.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ's on Winter Sowing