There are so many commercials on TV that tout their brand as the best. I wanted to see for myself. The hardward store here has a bag of potting soil called Baccto that they say is just like MiracleGrow, but cheaper. So I planted two basil seedlings in small pots and two in larger pots at the same time. I tried to keep watering and sunlight the same for both.
In both examples the MiracleGrow is on the right, the Baccto on the left. The first set shows an edge to the MircleGrow, but the second is definitive. MiracleGrow may be worth the extra cost.
It is so handy having herbs on the deck.
Both the purple basil and parsley are the three plants I left in each container after transplanting the rest of the seedlings.
Nasturtiums may not be classified as herbs, but I do use them in salads. They finally had three blooms, but are so spindly. They were planted in a hanging pot with hopes of cascading flowers draping to the deck. Time will tell.