Was it just a week ago I mentioned that I was going to buy established herb plants this year instead of starting them myself?

I’m seriously missing my herbs!

This past weekend I had some rare time all to myself to peruse the seed racks at my favorite garden center.  I took my time- I was alone after all.  I picked up a few varieties of herb seed that I knew I didn’t already have, as well as a few radishes, an organic orange delicata squash, and a chiogga beet.    I just couldn’t help myself.

If I attempted to grow all the herbs from seed that I already have seed for… well, I would have about 14 varieties of herbs (give or take).

Which has me re-thinking seeding some herbs. (Can you see me rolling my eyes here?) I’ll tell you, what I wouldn’t give for a good 14 feet of undisturbed south-facing window.  Then I could line the windows with 12 x 12 pots, fill ’em up with soil and seeds and start on some herbs.  In a perfect world, they would do fine in the pots in the cold weather, and then once it got nice out, I would set them outside.  As cold weather comes back in the fall, the plants would come back inside.  In my mind, this idea has merit.  And a lot of it.

I just really, really am missing fresh herbs.  Mostly parsley, interestingly enough. And while I can buy that reasonably priced, it just doesn’t last long enough.

Maybe I’m just yearning for spring.  But just for fun, these are the herb seeds I have:

• Sweet Basil
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Winter Thyme
• Dill
• Italian Parsley
• Chervil
• Summer Savory
• Marjoram
• Lovage
• Cilantro
• Genovese Basil

Of these, I know the dill won’t do too well in pots, and rosemary is tough to start from seed.   Sage and thyme will winter over just fine, so if I can get them established in the ground I won’t have this dilemma year after year.   It just occurred to me that I don’t have any chive seeds.  I will have to fix that, as my chives never popped out of the dirt last year.  It didn’t affect me too much, I simply used a bit of scallion in place of the chive.  But still.  I’d like to pick up some chive seed and some more specialty herbs.  Things like Thai basil, lemon thyme, and cinnamon basil.  I would give my right arm for a bona-fide tarragon plant- but those cannot grow from seed.  Real tarragon grows from a cutting.  I don’t care too much for oregano, so I’m not sure I want to be growing that.

I feel like there’s something missing… what am I missing?