I want to have an herb garden that is out of control! Help!

wak wrote:I'm just about the worst gardener in the world. I've even killed a cactus once.

Actually, killing cactus is not proof of being a bad gardener. Cactus is incredibly finicky and, despite being drought resistant, is actually very fragile. Even when they move cactus in the southwest, transplanting it from one spot to another maybe only yards away, they have to mark which sides face which directions, and make sure the cactus is planted facing exactly the same directions, because it will die if the wrong side faces the rising sun.

So you're probably no worse gardener than anyone else.

And to echo previous comments -- with basil and mint (and most other members of the mint family), neglect works wonders. I planted a couple of little basil plants on my balcony last year -- and didn't plant them until August, as I'd just moved -- and they turned into fairly substantial shrubs by first frost, and that's with little attention from me, other than watering when I remembered. My freezer still has a substantial residual cache of pesto.