what all do I need to start growing herbs and to keep them alive? Do they grow fast? Are they easy to take care of? Thanks for any information.

I've grown culinary herbs a couple of summers and from my experience I can give you these tips:

1) Do not use small individual planting pots for each herb - they dry out very quickly and herbs just do not grow. You should rather get an elongated (like 23'') rectangular planter and seed several herbs side by side.
2) When you buy potting soil, you should go for an organic mix, since these plants will go into your food.
3) Seed the herbs of your interest in April or May (June is still ok), keep the soil watered and watch them grow!
4) If you can, grow the plants outside: if you have a house, put planters on a porch or back yard; if you live in an apartment, maybe you can get a window planter. Plants grow so much faster and are so much more flavorfull when grown outside then inside the kitchen. If you cannot put them outside, put on a sunny window in your kitchen.
5) While your herbs grow, you can pick leaves or seeds for your cooking without harvesting the whole plant. However, when the plant is grown, you should harvest it all and then freeze or dry the leaves for future use.

Hope it helps.

Hello!
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