How to grow a herb garden

I just love my little herb garden. I planted it earlier this spring. I'm usually too afraid to plant veggies but the funny old man selling the herbs convinced me to buy the tiny tom tom variety, and look i now have my very first little tomato.  Here are a few handy tips on how to grow a herb garden.  1. Find a sunny spot: Most herbs love sunlight. Find a sunny spot in your yard or on the window.  2. Drainage: Make sure your herbs have good drainage. Plant them in pots with holes at the bottom in lose well aerated soil. 3. Together or separated?: Most herbs grow well together. Some need to be planted separately in a lonely pot because they don't play well well others. A perfect example is mint, if planted with others will try and choke them out. My mint basil is also in a pot of its own for the same reason. Sage, thyme and oregano can go in the one pot, although make sure to leave at least 10cm between each plant.  4. Annual vs perennial: Some herbs live only for a year, e.g. sweet basil. These herbs will need to be planted each spring. Other herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and mint will come back after each winter. They do tend to get woody and too mature after a few years so best to replant every few years. 5. Keeping through winter: Once autumn has passed move the herbs into areas that are well lit so they can receive as much light as possible. Because it doesn't snow in Melbourne and most parts of Australia, I leave my herbs outside. To protect from frost however the pots need to be moved indoors or a garage or the like. 6. Trim and use: the more you trim and use your herbs the better it grows. As soon as they start to flower it reaches the end of its growth cycle. Snip off flowers as soon as they appear to prolong life cycle of your herbs.  I have been using my herbs in cooking. Although I am getting to a point where I may have too much.There will be some herbalicious recipes on here shortly!