Fresh Basil/ Herb Garden

Gardening is not my forte.  I appreciate dirt for what it brings to the table, but I do not want it in my fingernails.    Besides all this grunting and whining from me, I will admit that I wish I knew more about gardening and had money and time to invest in this awesome hobby.  My awesome husband, though, comes from a great upbringing where they were taught to garden and his parents are amazing gardeners.  He has been digging a good sized plot in our backyard that is only a few more hours of work away from being ready for planting.  We'll plant this Fall.

Despite the lack of a garden that we presently have, I insist on having fresh herbs year round or as close to year round that I can.   Here is what sits on my back porch:

Clockwise from the far upper right: Thyme, basil with flowers, Rosemary, chives/ green onions, sweet basil, small white onions, and being cut off at the left is a cilantro plant. 

And if there was one herb I could salvage from the summer heat or the winter freezes would be fresh sweet basil.   It keeps really well in the shade.  If it has some morning sun it'll be okay, but definitely keep it in the shade during the summer months.  Also- in the Summer, keep it well watered- almost every day I bring a couple quarts of water out to it.  In the Winter, keep it close to the house on your porch (where it's warmer) and cover it every night of a freeze and even some other cold cold nights .  Water it every week about in the Winter.
When the plant starts to flower- small white flowers will appear on the top of a long stem.  This will prevent the basil from continuing to grow, so I just pull the flowers right off and throw them in the pot.  I'm letting the dying plant in the picture above grow flowers to get some seeds in hopes to start a new plant.

Here are some ways I use basil:
-basil pesto for pasta or pizza
-a whole leaf simmering in red tomato sauce
- chopped up in casseroles, pasta salads, stir frys etc.
- as a pizza topping

The list goes on.  It's just super super awesome to have fresh basil on hand all the time.  And when I cut all the leaves off to make a pesto within a few days I already have new leaves coming out.