I agree with Sleepy. I have had great results with regular fluorescents (T12/40W): a mix of warm and cool bulbs. I use a lot of them, so I buy a box of 12 each and then mix them in my 4' fixtures. My T12/40W (12= the bulb dia so T8s are a smaller dia) fixtures were 10 bucks and change and a case of 12 bulbs were 11 bucks. You can buy just 2 bulbs for around 3-4 bucks. If you prefer using new grow bulbs, they won't hurt anything but your pocket book :). I would replace bulbs every year, they tend to fizzle out after the heavy use of one season, but you can use them in other 'non-growing' fixtures like in a garage. Keriann~

Hey there, I too will share what I have learned... Basil - It will grow in a pot or garden (if you use a pot I suggest it has own pot), one plant will take all the dirt if you let it(unless in the garden), more plants and the dirt runs out sooner. I suggest you kill it early, having planted one every other week or so, that is unless you want free seeds. In that case let one or a few plants live till they flower and die, or if you want just trim the flower/seed part off after the majority of the flowers have open and turned brown, then harvest the seed, very easy to do, just a little time consuming. You can keep using the basil though some think that the basil becomes bitter after it sets flowers, i cannot tell the difference. As for starting from seeds, start them in your normal pot, just broadcast a few seeds on the dirt, water it and it will grow. If you harvest your own seeds you will no longer worry about how many seeds you put down(i.e. you will have too many!) Garlic Chives - mine are in a sq ft garden, Mine are three years old now, started from seed, and transplanted. They will over winter fine (they just look ugly during the winter). The leaves have gotten broader each year, they look nothing like the chives at the store, but they taste good! I agree with what others have said each plant has a bulb it works from, and has a few to several leaves per bulb. I am sure these would work in a pot, but I think if you can put them in the yard or garden it would be much better for you they are a very tidy decorative plant. These too will go to seed, they produce a cool little flower for each plant (the bees loved these!!!). That is where the seeds are developed. also you can eat the flower if you want, just tear it apart and use like chives. You can save the seed for spring if you want each flower makes like 25+ seeds, way too many for me use, as you do not have to replant chives each year. Cilantro - Really easy to grow, broadcast some seed, water if you want, they start regardless. They do have a hard time in the heat, just plant more (seeds are free!) I think they do like a mostly sunny spot that has some shade in the day (they did better when I had a lot together, probably kept the ground cooler). Leave a couple or more to go to seed again, and free seed!! Each plant (depending on size) make like 10-50 seeds. Again you won't care about the amount you plant you have plenty from each plant. Again the plant tends to lose flavor when they go to seed. Their ok in a pinch (nutritionally they should be ok just not as much flavor). I suggest a planting each week if you really like it, or every other week if you don't. Takes a few (2-4) weeks to reach a collectable amt per plant. These will over winter BUT the plant has no flavor (sometimes a bad flavor) in spring time. Suggest tilling in, unless some one knows if the plant will recover? I have one plant that has overwinter and is becoming bigger than any cilantro plant I have every had, it is the size of a large parsley plant now, I want to see if it recovers or not. Btw collecting their seed is way easier than the basil's, they have a large seeds. Btw the seed as a spice is called Coriander, I set some seed aside for cooking with. Thyme - A store bought starter plant, is several years old now overwinters fine, but has thick (2-3mm) stock now like kinda like a little bonsai tree (haha). Not as productive as first year (but that may be because I STUPIDLY put pasta water on it, DOH there is salt in that!!! It's not good for the plant you know, didn't kill it though, just made the leaves really tiny. haha that hurt to write). Even though it has flowered, I have not found how to get seeds yet (though I have not searched yet). It has pretty little flowers, could be something ornamental if you wanted. I have started other plants from clippings, just give be sure it has enough plant to give it the chance to live. Parsley - I started with seed (this year, and last year), I have it in the garden and in pots. in the garden it might overwintered fine, last years plant was older with a large root the size of a carrot or so, it rotted before the middle of winter, this years plant is still alive and is growing fine, go figure. Though it is not a bushy little plant, now it is a flat plant very close to the ground, tastes fine though. The plants in the pots are from last year, they are still doing well, I had them inside during the winter, seem to fare well in the window, almost no growth as expected though, that is until I put them outside in the late winter sun. These did not go to seed, though I thought they should have (would have been nice, but no free seed!). Garlic - This is the first year for me, and they are still in the ground. Pots should work, I think ground is better. I started the first batch in the garden in October, the second batch was in pots planted about Nov-Dec, they sprouted inside the house by the window. The first batch in the garden really took off now the weather has warmed, with some of the stalks now about an inch in diameter (much bigger than I expected as it is not supposed to be ready to harvest until August). The second batch isn't doing as well. These were put out before the last frost, and taken in at night (to avoid the frost), to take advantage of the warmer weather and sunlight. But they have not had the growth the first batch have had, they just seem spindly, but I think they will catch up. I have just planted another batch in the garden. I really think that the way these are sprouting they may catch up to the first batch. My original spacing was with 4 per sq ft, I think that is too far apart though, I think that you could probably squeeze 5 in a sq ft easily. I'm told the garlic leaves are edible (might be thought though), use them like green onions. Garlic may develop a bulb looking item on a stalk (and/or flower) this is a seed/clove and is also edible or you can plant it. I saw a video from some farmer on expertvillage.com and he had a great Idea. Intended for plantings in a garden, but works in a pot also. Say for example you have a garden full of winter vegetables right now, no room for garlic. Well what you do is plant the whole head of garlic in October like normal in a small area or a pot. The cloves sprout, you let them grow like normal till spring, then remove the bunch of sprouts and separate them (carefully) and transplant them where you want when the ground is ready, viola you have a jump start for the garlic. I have tried this, so far the plants seem good. Mint - grown from seed in a pot, grows and grows and grows... Once established will take over anything you put it in pot, garden, yard... beware the mint! Its not as bad as that, but I have heard the horror stories... Also I don't know why but... my mint sucks, It has no flavor, no aroma, little leaves. I'm gonna give it till the summer to shape up or I'm gonna compost the little sucker. Gonna have to find a better mint, suggest you try before you buy a plant. Oregano - Grown from seed, in pot, this might overwinter. Grows similar to mint with it's long stems,though they do grow a lot slow than mint. It might be able to grow up a trellis, and may be worth it as it has nice little flowers. The stems will take root to begin a new plant if you want, not sure about how to get the seeds though. Oregano in an 8 inch pot got root bound by end of the season. Sage - Was grown from seed in a pot, started last spring. It is a shrub so should have no problem overwintering. I have several plants in one 8 inch pot, does not seem root bound yet. Alright hope this helps, sorry I was so long winded!!.

It's a common affliction with beginner herb-growers to kill their herbs with kindness - usually too much water. Cut back on the water, and don't be tempted to feed your herbs while they're sick - they won't have much appetite! Let the coriander do its Thing and go to seed - it's behaving as Nature intended in the heat. The other plants could probably do with larger pots (they are all large plants) and since they're babies, they could probably do with a bit of protection in the harshest hours of sun. You know, life on a balcony isn't all beer and skittles - you get more wind, you get very harsh sun and a lot of heat reflecting from bricks etc, there's not much room to spread, you're exposed to pollution etc. It's a tough enough life when you're grown up, but when you're just a baby - sheesh.

Heeheehee - I agree with you Ezzirah. Often the stores, like the big box stores for instance, are more of a problem because they don't take care of the plants well at all! I try to catch them early in the year when the plants are just coming off the truck to grab them. I buy herbs like Lavendar, Rosemary, and Bay that are said to be difficult to grow from seed. I've never actually tried to grow them from seed because it seems like such an effort in futility, taking a long, long, time to grow to any substantial size. Bay in particular is very slow growing and is often more expensive to purchase because of that. It is not hardy in the ground in Oklahoma and must be brought inside during the winter. Use care when purchasing Rosemary, too. There are hardy varieties such as 'Arp', which is the hardiest. 'Madeline Hill' and 'Hill Hardy' are other hardy varieties, but if conditions aren't just right, they are questionable. So beware if you buy locally. The one I see most often marketed here is 'Tuscan Blue'. While it might make it thru a mild winter, it is really only hardy to zone 8. I buy tuberous or bulbing plants, too, rather than growing from seed, because not only do the plants generally put most of their energy into growing their tubers or bulbs, they often take a long time to reach flowering size for that reason; sometimes a year and sometimes many years. I'm not saying you can't grow the plants I mentioned from seed, because you can. They're just a little more finicky to start from seed and they take a little longer to have any impact in your garden. Larry, whatever it takes for a person to be happy, I'm all for it. I don't know too many of us that wants to change once we reach a certain age and are used to doing things the way we have done for a long, long time. Count me among them, too! Susan