We discovered the same thing with our squash plants last year. Any vine veggie I think needs it's own bed - and maybe even a low A-frame trellis to keep the veggies from rotting on the bottom.

As for fresh herbs - simply use them in a recipe as you would dried. I like to roast things with whole sprigs of rosemary. You just put the rosemary right in the roasting pan with the meat. Pick the whole sprig out and toss it when the cooking is done.