What you need to know.
I grow seven herbs regularly: basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, oregano, and chives. Each one has its own personality and timing, which took me a while to figure out. The biggest thing I learned: cool-season herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives) want to go in the ground in early spring and again in fall, while warm-season herbs (basil, oregano) want to wait until after the last frost when the weather has genuinely warmed up.
Basil is the king of the summer herb garden in North Carolina. Our long hot summers are exactly what basil loves. One plant, pinched regularly, will produce more basil than most families can use all season. Rosemary, on the other hand, is a perennial in Zone 7b — I planted mine three years ago and it is now a small woody shrub I harvest from all year. Mint needs to live in a container, full stop, or it will take over the entire garden within two seasons.
"Rosemary by the front door is supposed to bring good luck. Ours has been there three years and is now basically a small tree. Maybe it is working."
Step by step.
Plant basil transplants after the last frost when nights are reliably above 55 degrees — in Zone 7b, that is late April to early May. Pinch the growing tip out once the plant has 3 to 4 sets of leaves. This makes it branch out into a bushy plant instead of a tall lanky one, and you get three times the harvest.
Mint must go in containers — buried pots, raised beds with a liner, or any confined space. I learned this the hard way. Mint sends underground runners in every direction and will colonize your entire garden if given open ground. A large pot on the porch works perfectly.
Parsley and chives can go directly in the ground in early March, before the last frost. They are cold-tolerant and appreciate the cool spring weather. Direct sow parsley in place — it has a deep taproot and hates being moved once established.
When to plant in Zone 7b.
In Zone 7b: plant parsley, chives, and cilantro in early March for spring, and again in mid-September for fall. Plant basil, oregano, and thyme transplants after April 15th. Rosemary can go in at any point during spring or fall — it is tough and adaptable.
Basil is sensitive to even light frost — one cold night below 40 degrees will blacken the leaves. I keep a close eye on the forecast in April and May and cover plants with a cloth if frost threatens. By June it is growing fast enough to outrun most problems.
Problems I ran into.
Basil damping off — where seedlings suddenly collapse at soil level — happens when soil stays too wet and cool. I start basil indoors in March under grow lights, using well-draining seed mix, and only move transplants outside once the weather is reliably warm.
Rosemary can get root rot in heavy clay soil that stays wet after rain. I plant mine in a raised area with fast-draining soil and never water it once established — NC rainfall is plenty. Rosemary actually prefers dry conditions and neglect over overwatering.
What I make with it.
Fresh herbs change everything about cooking. I use basil in pasta, on pizza, in salads, and blended into pesto. The garlic scapes from my hardneck garlic plus basil make the best pesto I have ever had.
The full backyard pesto recipe is on the recipes page — it uses herbs and garlic scapes from the garden and comes together in about five minutes in a food processor.