Isn't there something so relaxing about growing fresh herbs?!... that is until it starts to die and you can't figure out why?????

Marina Roney, a UC Master Gardner is full of great advice. She says the two most common "improper growing techniques" are too much or not enough watering.
As she so cutely put it... "herbs like to be watered but they don't like to have wet feet!"... meaning, soak the plant then let it dry before watering again.
Marina suggest a clay pot over plastic because on the clay, you'll be able to see when it starts to dry. You can also stick a pencil, wooden skewer or other water gages inside the pot.

If you're thinking about growing an herb garden inside your home... pick plants that are not too tall or too wide. A few choices maybe, chives, basil, lavendar, parsley, mint, thyme.

When picking your indoor area, chose a windowsill that gets at least five hours of sunlight a day, a 6-12" deep container, soak once or twice a week, letting the plant dry out before watering again.

When it's time to snip... never trim more than a third of plant foliage.

For a ton of info, including which plants are perennial and which are annual,
check out the UC Master Gardner website http://groups.ucanr.org/sactomg/