Wow--lots of questions--but I think that's a great thing.

Chives. They are a perennial. They won't reseed, but you should be fine in your zone overwintering. If they flower, the flowers are wonderfully edible as well, on salads or whatever, or you can preserve them by drying, making vinegar, or compound butters. I just made a butter with the blossoms and some garlic chives as well that we freeze and pull out to use on corn and veggies. The advice to cut them in thirds is so that you always have some fresh to use. This is if you only want them fresh--you don't have to harvest them. Harvest them by cutting about an inch above the soil line. They can be dried, but chop them finely before drying or you get straw. If you're dealing with small batches and have freezer space, I would just put the stems in a zip bag and freeze them that way--pull and chop and use.

Cilantro will bolt (seed) when it gets hot. Collect the seeds too. It does not dry well, and can be frozen, but I tend to not bother because it's so readily available in grocery. I grow it more for the coriander seed which you can get a much higher quality than bought. Cilantro is annual, so you'll need to reseed. You can also do succession seeding next time--plant a small bit, then wait a week and plant a bit more, etc. This way you have different stages and not a huge crop at once.

Mint is a perennial. You were right to pot it--it's very invasive. It will come back year after year. I do throw all my containers in a corner of my yard and cover them with straw for the winter to protect them. You can harvest it pretty much any way you want--cut it all off and it will still come back. Or just grab a sprig or couple leaves for tea. It can be dried for tea, or frozen as well in zip bags. When drying, I prefer to strip the leaves first, then dry them. Store whole, and crumble when ready to use.

Basil can be dried, but it loses a good portion of its flavor, and has different characteristics once it is. Most people who like fresh basil prefer to freeze it to keep the flavor. You will have to purchase new basil seed next year. You can freeze whole stems or leaves of basil, or you can chop them and freeze in oil or water in ice cube trays. You can also make pesto and freeze that. It all depends on how you will be using the basil.

Rosemary will not overwinter for you in zone 5, so you'll need to treat it as an annual, or pot it and bring it in overwinter, but it's a tricky pot plant. Thyme and oregano will return.

It really depends how you will be using them whether you want to dry them, freeze them, or just use fresh. Some will say that dried herbs are not worth it, and I agree that badly dried herbs or old herbs like most of what can be purchased really aren't. But it is possible to dry them well for use, though as I mentioned with the basil, the flavor profiles do change, and some like parsley or cilantro truly are not worth drying. I am just learning a lot about drying now, as the Herb Guild I am part of makes gourmet blends to sell at our Botanic Gardens.

If you're interested in books, I have one called Homegrown Herbs by Tammi Hartung that I like as a good basic herb book, with both growing and some culinary and medicinal use. It would be worth checking at a library if you can. If you're seriously interested in fancy culinary with herbs, Jerry Traunfeld's The Herbfarm Cookbook is good. The recipes are a mixed bag for home use, but there are a lot of good charts and info on how much of different herbs to generally use.

All of those are worth harvesting and drying if you use them, simply because you won't have them in the winter, but the soft ones like basil, parsley, cilantro are better fresh, oregano better dried.

I had a fabulous indoor basil last year, grown in a large pot. You can try taking cuttings from the one you have and starting an indoor plant this winter, but the one in the ground won't survive. It is also one of the easiest herbs to start from seed.

Basil and cilantro can be chopped, mixed with olive oil and packed flat into freezer bags and frozen. Break off what you need as you need it.

Your mint will probably look like it got winterkilled, but if you keep the roots from freezing, i think it will come back for you. Maybe someone in zone 5 can confirm that.

Jan

Just one other thing - chives does reseed for many people. I think it depends on your climate. It is a moderate reseeder for me but for some people it is more riotous.

Really! Thank you! I had always thought that it grew from seed, but then just continued growing from the little bulbils you divide. I hadn't really thought about it--I guess it also probably matters that I use the blossoms and don't just leave them on the plant. I do appreciate the info!

Chives do put on seeds after the blooms but division works well also. In pot I am afraid you would have to harvest the seeds or they would not have any where to reseed.

Harvest cilantro before they bolt. You can leave a few to produce seeds(for culinary use or to plant ). I would not try to dry cilantro because they will lose all of their aroma and flavor. They are best used fresh. In zone 5 probably you can plant them late summer, for fall harvest.

Harvest chives by cutting down to ground when they are about 8" tall. They will grow back. Cut again when they are about 8" tall. This way they will not flower. But if you like their flower (for seeds or other use) let some flower by not cutting.

Mints are perennial . Harvest 2/3 of top when they are 4 to 6". they will keep coming back. The bottom part is usually too woody. They need more water. You can dry them or use them fresh.

"Just one other thing - chives does reseed for many people. I think it depends on your climate. It is a moderate reseeder for me but for some people it is more riotous."

Yes, for me chives are riotous reseeders to the point that I have pulled off every flower this year to avoid it. My chives are basically weeds at this point.... sending up babies via the root system expanding..... sending up babies via seeds... and the main plant just growing huge, perennially. :) Basil also reseeds for me at this point. I don't need to ever buy new seeds.... I have had dozens of volunteers every spring.

When we purchased the place, which was empty for the past 3 years or so, there was a pot of chives in the back by the shed. It had gone unattended for that many years, zone 4/5 border, and returns every year. I left it in the same pot it was in last year, it grew again this year. So, it seems to be acting as a perennial (not technically), probably reseeding in its own pot I'd assume. It did flower this year, after flowers were spent I cut it back. So at this point, I think I will leave it potted as it seems to be doing well. The flowers are attractive though when in bloom, FWIW.

Thank you for all the feedback! I will heed the advice.

"So, it seems to be acting as a perennial (not technically), ..." I'm not sure what you mean by 'not technically'. Chives are a true perennial in that they regrow from the roots (in their case bulbs) every year. But they do also spread by seed. It's very unlikely they are growing from seed in the pot. It's just the bulbs growing each year. Setting seed doesn't make a plant an annual, if that is what you understood. After all, trees spread seeds.