On a recent trip to the garden center, I saw a variety of large pots planted with herbs.  These assortments were billed as "Herb Garden in a Pot" or, more evocatively, "Veranda Herb Basket."  Each one contained four or five common herbs and each sold for a premium price.

The container herb gardens made me think about how easy it would be to create your own herb assortment in any kind of container--from a standard pot to an old roasting pan.  All you really need is good drainage, which you supply by putting holes in the bottom of the container.  After that you cover the bottom with a layer of drainage material.  Thrifty gardeners used to use bits of broken terra cotta posts for this.  I vary that theme by using pieces of old plastic nursery pots, which I cut up and save for the purpose.  

Most of the garden center herb assortments contained at least one basil, plus thyme, oregano, parsley and a mint of some variety.  In your own container, the sky's the limit.  Plant several different basils, using one of the purple-leafed varieties for color contrast.  You might also create and all-thyme assortment or one combining different mints.  Chives make a nice addition to the center of an herb arrangement, with the added bonus of producing lovely purple flowers.

Most herbs do best in the sun, so make sure yours receive four to six hours of direct sunlight per day.  When you plant your container, leave expansion room for the young specimens.  Water regularly and remember to harvest the herbs.  Once you have used fresh herbs in your cooking, you'll find it hard to go back to the dried variety.