Just because I happen to be thinking of it, here's a short cheat sheet for growing herbs (that's all I grow, except for a little plot of pimentones which basically grow themselves once the bleep-bleep seeds germinate).
I suspect, but cannot prove, that the following is valid for anywhere S of Mexico.
First, be wary of the instruction "full sun" (sol pleno) on a seed packet. In Panama -- and I'm in the hills where the weather is consistently temperate, not hot -- "full sun" many times translates to "dead seedlings". At 3000 feet and just 9 degress Lat. N of the equator, the sun is simply more intense here (Lord knows what it must be like in Panama's Arco Seco, where the weather is uniformly hot and dry!) Dill, sweet and Greek basil, and oregano (vulgaris) do much better with about half sun. Dill grows like a bloody weed here; I've one plot that's 6 inches high, from seed, in just 7 weeks.
Second, most of Latin America, esp Panama, has a rainy season. This is called the rainy season because, fr/Apr-May to Nov-Dec, it usually rains a boatload. 5-6 days a week, a shower or storm in the afternoon is typical. Thus, if you plant ANYTHING that is subject to root rot -- lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme and so forth -- you WILL plant them in or transplant them into raised beds, or they will -- not may, but will -- die, along about August or September.
Third, I've much better success planting seeds in small plastic cups in a mix of potting soil, local soil (volcanic, very rich) and sand. When ready to transplant into the garden, wet down the soil pretty well, dig the appropriate-sized hole, cut the plastic cup away with scissorts or shears, and take the whole cupful and put it in the hole. Even for an amateur like SAJ, this works almost every time, except for cilantro, which REALLY doesn't like being transplanted at all.
Happy gardening, mate!
Several of my beds are located where they get shade from trees in the afternoon for this reason.
I use the standard Mel's mix for about half of my beds. That's equal parts, Vermiculite, Peat, and Compost the first year. Replenished each year with compost. Almost impossible to over-water.
I now understand that is the reason I had success the first year - I was using that mix/sq. foot gardening. Drainage so good that I didn't over-water. Figured out that's why I killed almost everything before then - too generous with the water.LOL
I could only pose as a Garden Whisperer for now, and a very amateur Whisperer at that since I have no place right now for a real garden. You have a lot of practical knowledge. I’m renting out the room with the little terrace. The present renter is tickled to death sticking plastic flowers in dirt. No accounting for taste, right?