Are there any of these herbs that would get too large to be happy in the strawberry pot ....or that I should look for dwarf varieties of? I could plant the one that needs the most room in the large top area. The pot is maybe 2 ft high and each of the six pockets are about 3.5 - 4 inches in diameter. I don't have a preference for season or year to year keeping and I am fine with having to water often.
Thanks!

Are you in California? If so... don't use strawberry pots for anything but cacti. The soil dries out too fast and due to the holes, you can't ever rewet the soil. Pretty much, those things shouldn't be sold in Calif. :o( I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they often catch the newbies with those things.

Strawberry pots. Totally useless, IMO. Most herbs (plants in general) get too large for the tiny pockets, there's an incredible amount of competition going on amongst the various plants, it's difficult to find the right plants which will grow together, watering is a problem because water isn't evenly distributed..... The list goes on.

All of the plants listed above will be too large for a strawberry pot, with the possible exception of chives - in the short term only.

Of course, if you already have a strawberry pot, it can make an interesting garden ornament - with frogs and gnomes and things instead of plants. If you're that keen on getting a strawberry pot, and if you like frogs and gnomes in your pots!

Yeah... whoever came up with those things should be shot. Really....

uh oh... I got such a pretty blue one too and already planted it with herbs : ( and yes I am in CA

Use it as a vase for dried flowers!!

I've never heard of blue terra cotta... Or is it a glazed blue? Being glazed might help it retain a little water, dunno how much though.

I had got a good price on a few dozen strawberry pots and decided to do the "Value Added" thing with herbs. Went over pretty well but I'll relate what I found:

Avoid fast growing, bolting, plants like dill and cilantro altogether. They have no place in any arrangement and I keep wondering why people even request potted plants from them.

Sage, tarragon,and basil are normally too tall for the side pockets. Various colored basils, although annuals, typically compete well with the others if all are pruned regularly.

You didn't mention mint, Lavender, sorrel, salad burnet. lemon balm or thyme but they as well as the rosemary, parsley, oregano and chives seem to do OK in the side pockets. Chives, oregano, salad burnet, mint or lemon balm interplanted on tops usually compete well as lower growth. The mint and chives need more regular clipping but the pocket keeps them in check from crowding others. Parsley does better in the pockets because it is too easily crowded out by more aggressive growers on the top.

The planters are usually attractive for a season, at most because of mixing annuals and perennials. For me,I think they sold well at a farmers' market although I only priced them to recover prices that individual herbs would sell for. My profit was in selling the 6-8 basil varieties, thyme, oragano, chives, parsley, sorrel, salad burnet, lemon balm(aggressive as mint) and mint from established plantings in our garden. The rosemary,tarragon, sage and lavender needed to be transplanted from potted plants that would have sold either way.

Any Terre Cotta pot has watering issues to address but then so do other planters that don't drain well. If they don't have a drain hole make one with a masonary bit in a drill.

Thanks, great info and happy to know there is hope : )
Yes, it is a glazed pot and has one large hole drilled in the bottom. I still have some empty pockets so I'll see if I can find some more of the varieties you suggested... I've never even heard of sorrel or salad burnet...off to look them up : )

Nereid,

Just wondering how your herbs are doing in the strawberry jar. I just planted one last week before I found this site.I used the terracotta planter with 9 pockets. The following HGTV article was helpful to me in preparing the pot. It suggested using a piece of PVC pipe for more even watering. I'm interested in seeing how well it works. Here's the link.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_herbs/article/0,,HGTV_3595_1397802,00.html

Take a piece of PVC pipe and drill holes in it. Cap it on one end and place the capped end in the bottom of the pot. Center this in the middle of your strawberry pot. I did this and my herbs did beautifully. There is a great tutorial at Backyard Gardner http://www.backyardgardener.com/etera/index.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Gardner Tutorials

I had great success with certain herbs - golden thyme, oregano and mint all did very well. Coriander did well in the beginning but went on a short trip and it dried out. It didn't die or bolt but just stopped growing. Basil and parsley never really took off, but the ones I mentioned that did well really do well in it. Personally, I love the way the strawberry pot looks with herbs. Of course, I don't live in California, I'm in Japan, and I would suggest it for small space herb gardening.