I live in the Chicago area, which first had a night of frost plus 20+ days of continual rain and mist. I have to move what's left of my plants indoors. Can anyone give me advice on what plants would go together in the same planter (maybe a window box liner?) like ones that require good drainage and a drier soil, and what would go together in a moister planter? I plan to grow culinary herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon... maybe mint in its own container, catnip for the beasts here, and maybe lavendar. Some of mine are perennial in this zone I know but I do like cooking with fresh herbs off-season, and homemade pesto would sure be nice Christmas gifts.
Oh, and lighting too. They'll be in the basement.
Hayyyyulllllp! Please!
My herbs outside are dying! zone 5a and soggy
Rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender can all be grown in pots inside. They are basically Mediterranean plants adapted to hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters, when they continue to grow. Give them a well-drained soil mix and don't leave them standing in water. Mint likes a heavy soil, a big pot, and lots of water. Tarragon I leave in the garden, it dies to the ground but comes back in the spring, so I don't know how it would handle being pot-grown in winter.
If you really want healthy indoor herbs, I hear that those AeroGarden grow light systems work really well. My nephew had one last year and just loved it.
We have had a really wet summer here in Middle Tennessee and our garden sage just rotted.
Now we are adding a product called Stalite to all our new plantings to help with drainage.
Best of luck!