Question
Hi!  I just bought 2 small basil plants and 1 small thyme.  I live in Tucson, Arizona where the summers are really, really hot.  Most of my plants are in pots and I want to plant these herbs in pots also.  Can they take our hot summers and burning sun; can they live in total shade; how big of a planter should I use?

Answer
Diane:
I have heard about the Arizona heat. Your pots should be at least 12"-18" deep. Use good composted organic soil. Set plants on east location with shade from the west or filter sun light. Use plastic milk jugs for watering. Drill 1/4" size hole into bottom or 1" from the bottom on the side. This will make a drip system for the plant. Fill this once a week. Set the bottle beside the plant & walk away. You may also add your liquid fish fertilizer to the water.(home depot/lowe's carry the product).Fertilize every 3 weeks. Prune 1/3 from the top down on each branch every 3 weeks. This will make the plant productive & healthy.
Basil needs a deep pot to keep it from becoming woody. Prune basil more often than the thyme.

Leroy