Herbs are SIMPLE! Sure, some won't grow in your zone (no matter what that is), but everyone can grow a wide variety of medicinal and culinary herbs.
Not sure what you need to know....
DO NOT plant mints in your regular beds unless you want an "all mint" bed in about 4 years! (If you do, plant them in a bottomless pail, or sink a gallon coffee can (remove both ends) in the ground and plant inside it. That prevents the mints from putting out underground runners.
Most herbs do better if harvested regularly- at least 2x a year, more often in warmer climates or with aggressively growing plants.
You want to cut them low enough to not leave stiff "stubble" but not so low that you kill them. (unlikely!). I usually cut about 2/3 to 3/4 of the stem height. Harvest in the morning as soon as the dew goes off for the highest concentrations of essential oils. Most culinary herbs are best harvested just before they bloom (if you start seeing small buds, harvest them). Some medicinal herbs have different rules- I harvest St. Johnswort at early full bloom.
If your herbs are clean (it hasn't been an extremely dusty summer and you didn't just get a heavy rain that splashed dirt on the leaves) don't even wash them. Just shake them off, handpick any insects (again, not likely!) and hang them in SMALL bunches, upside down, to dry. I use rubber bands, which work well for short term use (less than 1 year). They tend to disintegrate after a year, but I take down all my herb bunches once they're dry, strip off the leaves and store them in glass jars in a dark place. String can work for hanging them, but it doesn't tighten up if the stems shrink- which is why I prefer rubber bands.
You can leave bunches of herbs hanging for decoration- but put most of them away in glass jars (plastic "breathes" and loses potency over time, and can absorb the oils besides) in a DARK place. As cool as you can manage it. Move small amounts to your kitchen cupboards for everyday use, but store most of them away from the heat and humidity of the kitchen.
Some herbs- chives, for example- lose color and flavor if they aren't dried quickly. I chop them and dry them on fruit roll sheets on my dehydrator. Parsley does very well that way, too.
If you want to dry chive flowers, you can hang them upside down, but you need to cut them EARLY- otherwise, they'll continue to mature while hanging and go to seed! I dry mine in the dehydrator, too. (Gorgeous lavender onion flavored bits!)
If you live someplace cold, leave your herbs time to regenerate and store energy in their roots for the winter. That means not harvesting them just a week or two before you expect your first frost. Give them *at least* a month. You can cut them after the first hard freeze- they probably won't be as potent, but you won't hurt the plant. Obviously, this is perennials I'm talking about. Stuff like basil you harvest all summer long, and then take the whole plant right before a frost is forecast. Frozen basil is black and ugly.
One last warning- ALWAYS LABEL YOUR JARS! You think you'll know what is in them- and you probably will, mostly! But sometimes they don't smell as much different as you think, and after a few months, you can get confused!
If you've got any specific questions about various herbs, I'll see what I can do to answer them.
Summerthyme
