aloha wermo, im in the same situation as you.. i well dont have a green thumb at all.. i live on the leeward side, in Ewa Beach.. the hottest, driest area i am told.. we live at Iroquois Point homes and our house in basically on the lagoon which is nice..

we can only do potted plants here.. no planting in the ground.. i am too wondering what i can grow here.. we have good shade around 3- 4pm and full sun during midday around the patio area of the place..

i would love to grow some sort of herbs that will stay in the pots, maybe i can get some wire stands for them to grow as vines if possible too..

any help for us newbies is appreciated

aloha wermo,
i hope you got some good info for growing herbs. now that you have a yard to plant in, you will learn a lot about gardening. I had this opportunity 6 years ago, and I am still learning a lot ... but, my soil was in poor condition (too clay like and alkaline -ph). So, plants don't do well in poor soil conditions, they get all kinds of fungus and diseases! Also, find out if your soil has been "contaminated" ...

Your best defense is to have really good organic soil -that is well-composted and fertilized with natural manures that have "broken" down. I only recently discovered this, after trial and error ... Now I mix my garden soil with organic materials such as compost, manure, gypsum or peat moss. I put it in a clean sterile container (trash can size is fine) and "cover". Then, just let it cook in the sun for 3-4 months or longer. You will have great soil that has no weed seeds and is healthy ... you will experience little problems with insects. You could also learn about composting, and adding your own compost to your planting beds to insure healthy growth.

Caution! please don't use chemical insecticides on herbs ... as you eat them and this would go against the benefits of their medicinal properties as well. anyway, i use just plain water and a few drops of liquid dish soap, put it in a sprayer and spray off the fungus and white stuff. there are herbal insecticidal soaps and oils available at most gardening stores (or you could mix your own) that are "natural" or organic means of getting rid of aphids and the like. Also, some herbs like basil and chives, cilantro etc., like to "bolt" (flower and go to seed) in hot and humid conditions ... and they taste "bitter". so, the best thing is good sunshine but "cool" if possible for these plants.

Gardening is good for the soul ... so don't give up. We are still dealing with weeds. but eventually, we will have good soil in every part of our garden ... it takes time. good luck.