The Best Way to Care for Your Herb Garden Is to Actually Use Them

Amanda writes in part (read what all she has to say at the link):
I garden for one reason: the sheer delight and utility of always having what I want to eat available outside my door. Not outside my door as in a “There’s a store down on the corner and this is why I live in the city” kind of way, but in a “I can always pull a carrot, onion and some celery from my yard at 10 p.m. if I feel like cooking” kind of way.

Such is the point of planting fresh herbs. It’s hard to justify buying fresh herbs when you often only need a sprig. Back when I would purchase them, they always seemed to go bad before I used them up; they were expensive, and it felt like a waste. Now that I have them at my disposal in the garden, I put fresh herbs in and on every damn thing. So dedicated am I to this idea, that when I visit another city for more than a few weeks, I will bring a cheap planter and plonk a few herb starts in them to keep outside the front door for dill or basil emergencies. (Yes, those are real things.)
In the herb world, you’ve got your hardier perennial herbs like rosemary, oregano and sage, and you won’t be able to kill those, even if you try. Then there are your tender herbs—basil, cilantro, parsley and dill—which I would argue are your higher target, superior herbs. They are also the herbs that will notoriously bolt, and have to be replanted over and over all season– unless you follow some sage gardening wisdom: Use ‘em or lose ‘em.

The Best Way to Care for Your Herb Garden Is to Actually Use Them