Since I live in an apartment in Birmingham, gardening is restricted to containers. Currently the garden consists of sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, basil, tomato, cayenne pepper, sweet potato, and a mix of lettuces.

Seed packets for most of the herbs claim that they are perennial for zone 7. Does this mean I can leave them outside and they will survive despite the freeze? Would they lose all their leaves and then sprout new ones off of the bare stems next spring?

I realize that the vegetable plants will die. which of the herbs listed above would you suggest for me to bring inside to sit by the window?

Thank you in advance for reading this, and take care. Fall sure hit us real quick this week. Was warm up til now and all the sudden it was 50 deg overnight.

The reason I am trying to delay this is that I have seen ants on the deck, and am trying not to bring them indoors.

Thanks in advance for any help - I am new to the Huntsville area from the northeast - feel free to email me directly with any good advice.

Thanks,

Kim (drippy)

drippy, your plum and lacecap won't need to be brought inside at all. They are deciduous plants that prefer a cold, dormant winter and wouldn't be happy at all inside. You may want to protect them if we get some of those nights in the teens, so that the roots don't freeze solid in those containers. Perhaps you have an unheated garage you can keep them in after they lose their leaves?