Here are some thoughts from a novice gardener attempting to grow herbs as well:
I don't know the climate in your area, so you may be do fine, but I've found basil to be fairly fragile in cooler temperatures. Keeping the slugs away from it can be a challenge as well.
Rosemary grows quite big, I think one plant should be able to keep up with the pace of simple cooking needs.
As for bay, it's a shrub, so I wonder about growing it from seed. It also doesn't cope well with frost.
One more thing: Using the right soil can really help some plants, like strawberries.