Divide any larger clumps of your perennial herbs such as lovage, catnip, mint, chives, thyme, sage, lemon balm, Winter savory or oregano. Give them away if you don't have room for another plant or leave one in the ground and try one in a pot that you can bring in later.

Remember that some herbs like the mints and horseradish can be invasive, so grow them in very large containers that are buried in the ground if you need them to be contained. I've grown many of the mints without a problem, but one year I planted pineapple mint and didn't pay attention to it. It took over the herb bed! Chocolate mint starts out fairly tame and then wanders every which way, so don't be fooled by mints that start out slowly. You can bury other "dividers" such as pieces of tin or other metal around the mint to contain it too.

Horseradish roots are hard to dig up because they are so long, so use the buried pot method to contain it. By the way, if you want the horseradish a little milder, try digging the root in the spring instead of waiting til later in the summer or fall.

Once the frost has passed there are many herbs you can direct sow. Herbs that are fairly easy to grow from seed are: Dill, chives, calendula, basil, fennel (grow away from dill), salad burnet, sweet cicely, nasturtium, borage, cilantro, and cress are a few. Always pick the rocks and large clumps out of the soil where you direct seeds.

If you are just beginning with herb gardening, remember that Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme and lavender prefer a dry, very well drained soil in a hot, sunny location. Other herbs like mint, basil, parsley, lemon balm like the soil fertile and are not as drought tolerant. Group together herbs that like the same type of environment when planning out your garden.

MORE: Tips on including herbs within your flower beds! http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/herbgarden3.html