Which herbs? Some of them will not want to be mulched, prefering to grow in leaner, meaner soils then others prefer. Some herbs will not develop the flavors they should have if grown in soils that are too good since they developed over eons in soils that were quite lean.

Scarlett, heavy mulching and direct sowing don't mix. The mulch is going to prevent weed seeds from germinating, will feed and help to condition the soil, help prevent compaction in your beds with heavy fall and winter rains but its going to inhibit germination of desirable seeds you might sow too. Its not going to smother aggressive or perennial weeds that have already taken hold - no way around it, you're going to need to pull those getting the roots out too so they don't resprout. There are a number of type weed seeds that will germinate in Fall and Winter here so mulch applied before Fall rains begin will cut down on your coming season chores, weeding. It looks like we share our zone. What time of year you apply your mulch isn't as critical here (looking your post in the soils/compost forum)...ground doesn't really freeze to any depth in a normal winter. I will try to do my major cleanup and mulching in Spring but for a number of reasons this year I'm finishing up now. We're still restoring beds (year two in this location) and I've just now finished spreading 8 yards of purchased compost as a top dressing as my mulch for this year.....beds had been long neglected and were overrun run with alder, blackberry, ivy. If you'll look above at FAQs, you'll see that the type of winter sowing done and discussed here is accomplished in pots or recycled containers outdoors in winter....most use recycled, while I use pots (have hundreds over many years). That would work for you with the seeds you would like to start - you could do your bed cleaning and mulching now. In Spring when you have seedlings and young plants, you can pull back the mulch in the areas you are working, plant your perennials from the containers they have germinated in, push the mulch back into place around them. So, my shorter response is, get those weeds under control and your beds and its soil in shape - then concentrate on planting. There really is not a good way to both at the same time, and you'll benefit from doing the preliminary work first more than you can know. Soil and weeds first, permanent plantings later.

Well, it's been a looong time, since I've posted here. Starting up a new business took up all my time for most of this year. Was just browsing, while I fight a head cold (on the excuse that I can't work, while medicated) and saw this post. Thought I'd add my two cents. I've been bringing potted herbs indoors for several years to enjoy during the winter. Each year I overwinter 30 to 40 pots. Winters in New Hampshire are long and cold. Some plants survive fine outdoors up here (e.g. mints, thymes, tarragon, chives), but many don't make it (e.g. sage, rosemary, basil). So, I grow lots of herbs in pots outdoors spring through fall and bring them inside just before the first frost. Some plants do great; some just hang in there until spring. But, even if I don't get enough fresh herbs to use for all my cooking, adding some snips of fresh leaves to the dried stuff adds a nice dimension of flavor. Here's what I've learned. Every "dont" listed is something I did, so the end result described is from personal experience, not book-reading. 1) Give plants all the sun you can. This is more important than humidity, temperature or proper soil moisture (which is a close second). I have several southern windows where the bulk of the plants go and a couple of eastern windows for those that can take a little more shade. I don't use supplemental light, but my southern windows have unobstructed sun. 2) Tropicals, like Vietnamese coriander and Rau Om, don't like to be right up against the window, since it gets pretty cold there. Tough plants, like, oreganos, thymes, mints, etc. could care less. 3) I usually dont bother with annuals, since they get very leggy indoors. Thats one of the reasons why I grow Vietnamese coriander and Mexican culantro instead of cilantro. An exception this year is Greek columnar basil (also called Greek bush basil). It is supposed to do well potted indoors. It is almost three feet tall and sitting in a southern window as I type this, so we shall see how it goes. Even if it doesnt make it, the plant puts out very dense growth only 10 inches wide and I think the flavor is more like Genovese basil than sweet basil (although I have seen it listed under sweet basil). It doesnt flower, doesnt bolt, and did fine all summer in a 10-inch pot, so it is a winner in my book. 4) Water less in the winter, since most plants will slow down with the shorter days. Drier soil is better; damp soil will kill many plants. Exceptions include tropicals, like Vietnamese coriander and Rau Om. 5) Leafy plants, like standard oregano, thyme, African blue basil, lemon savory, etc., I cut about two thirds the way back before I bring inside. The new leaves will be better adapted to the reduced light and the older leaves usually drop anyway in a few weeks. 6) Rosemary I don't cut at all, preferring to prune it in the spring. Same for bay laurel and other, tough-leaved plants. Thick, fleshy leaved plants, like Cuban oregano, Spanish oregano, Portuguese oregano (also called broad-leaved thymes) I leave as is and let hang naturally. They look nice that way. 7) No matter how hard you try, you will get pests, especially white fly and white spot. I use a pyrethrum-based pest spray, which is rated as safe for fruit, and a copper-based fungicide. Have never had luck with the tea-type fungus remedies. 8) Keeping a few carnivorous plants around, like a Cape Sundew (Drosera capensis) or one of the heavily branched sundews (D. multifida extrema), will also help control white flies. Capes are easy to grow indoors and look cool, too. 9) Herbs are tough plants to begin with, so I fertilize infrequently and use a dilute plant food, when I do. 10) Prune regularly to remove dead and yellowed leaves. Don't let dead leaves pile up on the soil; since they will become a breeding ground for mold. 11) If you intend to bring plants in for the winter, try growing them in pots all summer. The transition will be a lot easier for them. There are some varieties, like Blue Boy rosemary and Grolau chives, which are bred especially for pot culture. Oreganos do great in pots, too, especially the less hardy varieties, like Cretan, Italian and Syrian. For plants that I put in the ground, like Berggarten, purple and tri-color sages, I take cuttings and root them. 12) For potting soil I use plain, old Sam's Choice from WalMart. Nothing fancy, but it drains well and still holds moisture. 13) The toughest time is December. Days are the shortest and the plants are just coming out of the adjustment period. If you can keep them hanging on until the New Year, they will usually start perking up and will look a lot better within a month. Up here, I think the snow on the ground actually helps by reflecting a lot of light up to the plants from below the window. 14) Since its deciduous, lemon verbena, no matter what you do, will drop its leaves within a few weeks of being brought indoors. Dont try to prolong the agony, since it will just end up getting spider mites. Just move the plant to a cool place out of the light until March. Bring it out, give it sun, water it, and it will put out all new growth. If you leave it out until first frost, it will drop all its leaves outside and save you the trouble of cleaning them up for a month before you put it away. 15) Some plants, especially mint cuttings, can have a funky smell, when you first bring them inside. That will change to the normal smell as the plants adapt and mature. I hope some of this is useful. Overall, I think that herbs as a group are easier to grow and less fussy than plants grown for their flowers or fancy foliage. And, they are a lot tastier. narcnh

I bring lemon verbena indoors putting it in the north window of a semi-heated garage (50-60). Then I neglect it but it should be watered about once a month. The leaves will drop but have faith. When it's warm enough in the spring, put it outside and water it. I live in NH, zone 5. A long time ago, a great herb gardener told me that some plants have to have a winter's rest. Tarragon is one of them. I, too, have found that it's one of the last herbs to start growing in the spring. This year mine was a small shrub. It does a lot better in a very sunny location. I think the lavender variety I have is munstead. It doesn't get too big. I grew it from a 6-pack of starters I got at the farm store. I have a friend who does well with rosemary indoors. The tender perennials don't need to hibernate for the winter. She puts a humidifer next to her plant so it never dries out. I had good luck putting mine in the bathroom. It didn't get a lot of light (north window) but I think the humidity helped. I assume you have winter savory and not summer savory. It's hardy here. I did well with Greek oregano for a couple of years and then lost it. Hope my new plant survives the winter ... it's not in a sunny location. I had a small hedge of lemon balm that I grew from seed but one winter it died out. Again, it wasn't in a sunny location and the soil was poor. You might find seedlings growing next year if you let the plant flower. Happy gardening!