Those are good to start with though, Marion.

I did roughly the same thing 2 years ago with Sage, Basil, hot peppers, Lemon Balm, Lavender, and Rosemary.

The Sage can't be stopped, lol. It grows so vigorously, it's bigger every year. The rosemary and lavender are also doing well. The Basil, peppers, and Lemon Balm need to be replanted every year, of course.. if I choose to do so.

This year, I want to up the ante, with wormwood, mandrake, and .. either foxglove or nightshade.

Time for me to get seeds, esp for mandrake.

Well, out of the original selection there are only 2 still left. I gutted my jasmine gave up but there you go. Why am I left with coriander and dill? :) Is it a "sign"? :) No, they were at the front and got the most light!!! Anyhoo, I have these seed pods things we were selling at work, so on Tuesday I'm going to start those. Touch wood I'll not lose any seedlings to a sudden frost. It's the downside of not having central heating on (it makes me ill).

I'd love to try mandrake one day but I'll go with what I have to hand at the moment. I don't expect the cotton or peppers to really make it but you never know...it's all experience, right?

I have been looking at sorting my herb box for the year, certainly looking at the common ones... Basil, Mint, Lemongrass, etc... Also including sweet cicely, wormwood and few others...

I have Nightshade growing naturally in the garden, which, I will be digging up and burning... I don't know if it is Deadly or Black, but, I have Dogs, Cats, Hens and Ducks, all of which will attempt to eat the berries if they get the opportunity... I am also building a grow box, to assist plants with the germination and establishment, before transfering to the greenhouse... Useful to bring the tomatoes from seed to ripe in about 8 weeks... lol...

Sounds like you have a lot of space...I have one window sill, about a foot long and 4 inches wide, which gets sun in the morning, if there is any :( However, I have planted my new seedlings, which is almost an invitation for it to snow again, and we'll see what happens with this batch. I was eyeing up a rather nice lavender bush in a cute bucket the other day, but decided "no"...it's too pretty to kill.

Sounds like you have a lot of space...I have one window sill, about a foot long and 4 inches wide, which gets sun in the morning, if there is any :( However, I have planted my new seedlings, which is almost an invitation for it to snow again, and we'll see what happens with this batch. I was eyeing up a rather nice lavender bush in a cute bucket the other day, but decided "no"...it's too pretty to kill.

So now I have all but given up the idea of growing my own herbs. My room has not enough light and they keep dying, despite my best efforts. I'll keep at it though...while there's still green in those little pots, I'll keep feeding and watering :) But keeping with the herbal stuff, I do have a good range of bought dried herbs, which I can use. Recently I decided to study first, aromatherapy and also now, bach flower esences. However much I dislike the thought of mass produced commodities, they are a learning tool and I'm making a conscious effort to step away from the books. There's plenty I already have stored up by way of knowledge but now is the time to practice more and get more practical experience.

Aromatherapy is good and has some very powerful properties. Whilst yes, many essential oils are mass produced, the more reputable companies producing them are ethical in their production and the quality of them is in general far better than we could produce ourselves...