I would plant a mixture of these herbs in several pots and mix in some
marigolds, nasturtiums, petunias for variety and color. By mixing the
plants together and putting in the flowers, you'll accomplish two things.
First, you'll confuse bugs when they're seeking their favorite herb.
Second, the marigolds should help repel bad bugs as well as attract in
ladybugs and predators that will devour aphids and possibly caterpillars.
It's an all natural approach that should work and look very pretty at the
same time. Any herb that has a strong scent should help in deterring the
bad guys. Try mixing some mint in also. Luckily, you're planting in pots
and not in a bed because mint can become invasive when not contained. Be
prepared to also entertain bees and wasps which are highly beneficial for
pollinating your tomatoes. My only concern is that your patio is East
facing. These herbs and, especially tomatoes, need a good 5+ hours of
strong sunlight to really prosper. I would try the seedlings again and
check the plants over very well for any aphids on the undersides of leaves
as well as on the stems before purchasing. As soon as you see some on the
plants, spray them with a strong dose of water to remove them. You can also
buy a small box of ladybugs and put them in the plants. They just need a
source of water and your plants for shelter. They'll start devouring any
soft bodied insects (aphids) quickly.

As far as varieties of herbs, I usually plant common and garlic chives,
sweet and lemon basil, flat leaf parsley, and early girl, better boy
tomatoes. You can use any type you choose (curly parsley is great too).
Your choice of tomatoes should be limited to smaller plants, unless you plan
on erecting a very tall lattice or cage for them. Early girls and Better
Boys are good, but don't do Cherry or Grape tomatoes in a limited space.
They have very long branches. I honestly don't think the herbs make such a
difference in what grows best. Just choose what appeals to you. There are
so many basils to choose from and, for that matter, oregano and thyme too.
Lemon Thyme is beautiful as a trailing plant and smells wonderful when
brushed with your hand. You can use it in teas and season with it also. If
you can get your hands on some Lemon Grass, it really makes a statement in a
pot by itself and has no pest problems. Use a good potting mix in your
pots and make sure they're deep enough for the tomato plants too. I mix
potting soil and composted manure if planting in a pot. I also use Garden
Tone (bag) Fertilizer and liquid fertilize once a month with Fish or Kelp
Emulsion. It has many micronutrients that really boost your plants to keep
them healthy without burning them.

O.K., now that I've written a book, I'll sign off. I wish you luck in your
patio gardening and hope I've helped.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Joel" wrote in message
. ca...
Hi,
I'm not very experienced in gardening but I wanted to try to grow the
plants
that I mentioned in the subject line. I live in Vancouver Canada which has
about the same climate as Seattle and I live in an apartment. I plan to
try
to grow these on my east facing patio this year. What type of varieties
should I buy? I'm totally lost on this one. Also, when should I plant the
seeds. I don't want to buy seedlings because last year I tried this with
some other plants and introduced a major aphid/whitefly epidemic into my
house so I've sworn that off for this year. Maybe you could also suggest
plants that might help repel aphids should I have a problem this year. Any
help would be great.
Rose