If I didn't have outdoor space (balcony, garden space, etc.) at an apartment to either have a container garden or to plant directly into the soil, I would opt for a window box. It allows the plants unfiltered sunlight, fresh air, wind, rain - all sorts of good Mother Nature mojo. The plants grown outdoors - even in containers or window boxes far out distance the indoor grown plants in size, vitality, and taste. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: How to build window boxes

Oh dear, Carrie Jane take a deep breath, relax, no one has a black thumb, you just need to learn a few tricks is all :). I suspect you may be loving your plants to death. First things first, all herbs are different, they come from all over the world so each one has to be considered individually. I suspect you are over watering. I don't think it's the heat inside, I think its watering and lack of sun. I've grown herbs inside in boston. To water most plants in pots: Water until it drains out the holes in the bottom of the pot. I stick em in the sink. If any water is in their little dish (mine don't get dishes), discard it, sitting in water (called 'wet feet') leads to root rot with most plants but especially herbs (this is really important). Then don't water again until when you stick your finger into the soil about an inch or so down it feels mostly dry, but not bone dry. Always water at first signs of wilting. The herbs you mentioned are mediterraneian, so they tend to like things relatively dry, hot, and sunny. Rosemary (native to greece seasides-rosemary=dew of the sea) is one of the trickiest herbs, they just are finicky, and they are hard to over winter. If you find a good spot for rosemary don't move it-one theory is that the plant adapts slowly to changes in light etc because of a thick covering on it's leaves. Rosemary hates 'wet feet' meaning that it can't sit in standing water or too wet soil or it will get root rot and die. Rosemary also hates to be dry, which means that it's darn hard to water right especially since it doesn't wilt to tell you when it wants water. It needs a really well draining soil too-so lots of vermiculite/pearlite. Rosemary also likes to get powdery mildew-white fluffy stuff where the leaf meets the stem-this can be treated with 1tsp oil, 1tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp ivory dish soap, 1 qt water. However, powdery mildew is tough and it can take a plant down fast. The also like to get spider mites (very very fine webbing with black or redish spots on the web-best seen by holding up to light) which is best treated by rinsing with water. Basil, can be grown indoors, but it really needs Direct sunlight shining straight on its leaves. Your kinda biding your time until you can plant new plants or cuttings outside in spring, but it can do OK inside. Basil gets the sunniest spot in the house. Basil is also an annual, so it will grow for a season or so, make flowers and seeds "go to seed or bolt", and then die. However, you can make basil more bushy by pinching the tips, and if you see flowers start to form pinch them out to stop the plant from bolting. Basil likes more water than rosemary, but it will rot if it's in standing water. Yellowing could also be from lack of fertilization, I would fertilize with fish emulsion (outside-stinky) at the reccomended dose or Peters at 1/2 concentrated of what it says on the package. I would fertilize no more than 1x/month, herbs generally do best with no fertilizer but in a container where your washing out their nutrients they need a kick every so often. Thyme. Probably the easiest one you mentioned. Thymes likes relatively dry soil but it's not quite as picky. Water as I mentioned above, don't let it have wet feet. These plants should be in individual pots to account for their different watering needs. Pots: I like to use store bought potting soil and mix in about 1/3 vermiculite (maybe up to 1/2 for rosemary)-I don't like pearlite. You don't want to keep them in the plastic 4" pots from the store. I really prefer terracotta clay, it breaths better. You know you need to repot when you CAREFULLY slip the pot off the plant and see the roots wrapping around the pot (too much and it's called 'root bound'). You want to 'pot up' to a pot that is 2-4" larger so atleast a 6" pot. When you transplant gently 'tickle' the roots to kinda comb out the bound roots. Then replant in the larger pot, water well, and your done. If your plants are real gonners, I suggest starting over, it's hard to pull em back from the grave. "I have a friend that I can ask questions of but find I don't even know what to ask" As your friend if you can come over some time for a demo, bring a dessert and it could be a great time :) "catalogs confuse me..." toss em, go to the local private nursury and as someone who is knowledgeable what will grow well and what you want. They know best for your area/soil/zone etc. If they are a good nursury, they will get very excited to share info with you. I'm a bit militant about this, I try to pick var that will do well in my climate. As for shade,sun,etc, I try my best, don't worry too much, and wait I to see, sometimes things need to be moved, some will die. In general, I really think that we stress too much, I mean they are plants after all, if they want to survive they best hop to it, they can adapt and take more than we give em credit for. "soil is sandy and don't know if that matters" Sure it matters, but look around you, obviously things can grow in MA. Personally, I think more can grow in sandy soil than in heavy clay. In general NE soil is pretty good-throw some bagged compost down and your golden. "I want to plant something very tall and interesting.." lol that's not detailed enough. Tree, shrub, herb, color, etc. For herbs, head over to the herb forum...I think you might like growing lavenders, I don't know lavenders too well being from FL but they do. Gosh, this got long. I hope it was helpful. Relax, have a glass of wine, enjoy growing. It's not something to stress over.

Floral, northern VA may get a little more variation than some other parts of 6b because of the proximity to the coast. Plus OP may not be the administrator of the community garden and may not have the option of planting perennials there, only annuals. Agree, however, that they would do better out-of-doors even this late in the year, although I would suggest a sheltered location such as close to the house and having a cloche or cover available as needed for frosts and freezes this first winter. Agree also on the need for a proper pot with drainage if outdoor is not possible. Possibly even potting them and keeping the pots outdoors most of the winter and bringing them in only during the coldest weeks. Mason jar herbs are a popular gift but not very useful for long term life of the herbs. You are likely to get plants to grow, but not likely to get them to thrive.

Hello Nikki! Unfortunately I do not have any seeds to donate because I usually buy the six pack veggies from my local nursery, but I do have some gardening advice if you would like. Due to the epidemic and being in shelter-in-place, I ordered some vegetable seeds from Park Seed this year. Their prices are very good, around two dollars for a packet of thirty seeds, and flat rate shipping of $2.99, just in case donations are sparse. Some good nutritious fruits and vegetables to plant are tomatoes (The ‘Celebrity’ variety is my favorite), green beans (‘Blue Lake’ is my favorite of these), Japanese eggplant, sweet peas, squash, pepper, lettuce, corn, radishes, watermelons, okra, etc. I’m not sure how big your garden is, but it would be a good idea to consider how much space and water each plant will take and to plan accordingly. For example, a corn stalk takes up very little space and will produce a big yield in a compact space because it grows upright, while a watermelon needs lots of space to grow because its vines stretch horizontally. Sun is also an important factor to consider. Most fruits and veggies need full sun to produce maximum yield, while some plants, such as lettuce, can grow fine in shade. Another way to increase your crop yield is to improve your soil by adding compost, manure, kitchen scraps (rotten fruit and veggies, eggshells, etc.), and/or fertilizer. My suggestion is to choose the fruits and veggies you want to grow, draw out a garden plan, order seeds (in case of sparse donations), amend your soil, plant the seeds, water thoroughly, and watch them grow. If you have any further questions feel free to ask and enjoy your gardening adventure! I hope your little ones enjoy it too, when I was little my father instilled in me a love of gardening and nature, and it continues to be one of my greatest joys and fondest memories today. I hope this helps and good luck! damask_rose_5 : ) P.S. – Here’s the link to Park Seeds: Park Seed