The supermarket basil that wilts on your windowsill within two weeks isn’t proof you can’t grow herbs indoors. It’s usually a crowded pot of seedlings, grown under ideal greenhouse light, suddenly dropped into a dim kitchen. Choose the right herbs, give them the brightest spot you have, and indoor herbs can produce for months.
How much light do herbs need?
Indoor light is far weaker than it looks to our eyes. Even a bright room can receive only a small fraction of outdoor daylight a metre back from the window. Sun-loving herbs such as basil, rosemary and thyme want the equivalent of six or more hours of direct sun. Leafy, shade-tolerant herbs manage with less. Put plants directly in or beside your brightest window — south-facing in the Northern Hemisphere, north-facing in the Southern — and rotate them every few days.
Herbs that tolerate lower light
- Mint — vigorous and forgiving; keep it in its own pot.
- Parsley — grows steadily in bright indirect light.
- Chives — easy, regrow after every cut.
- Lemon balm — a relative of mint with similar resilience.
- Cilantro — actually appreciates cooler indoor temperatures; sow small batches.
- Microgreens — harvested in one to two weeks, before light becomes a limit.
Herbs that struggle without strong light
Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage will survive on a sunny sill but often become thin and leggy over winter. These are the herbs where a grow light makes the biggest difference.
When is a grow light worth it?
If your window gets less than four hours of direct sun, or you want herbs through winter, a small full-spectrum LED grow light is the single best upgrade. Modern LEDs are efficient and run cool. Position the light close to the plants — often 15–30 cm above, following the maker’s guidance — and run it for around 12–16 hours a day on a plug-in timer. Raise it as plants grow.
Indoor care basics
- Pots: at least 12–15 cm wide with drainage holes, in a saucer.
- Mix: a free-draining potting mix with added perlite (see our soil guide).
- Watering: water when the top 2 cm are dry; empty saucers after 15 minutes. Overwatering kills more indoor herbs than underwatering.
- Divide supermarket pots: split a crowded pot into three or four clumps and repot them separately.
- Harvest often: pinch stem tips above a leaf pair to keep plants bushy; never take more than a third at once.
- Feed lightly: half-strength liquid fertiliser every three to four weeks during active growth.
Filter by “windowsill” in the Plant Finder for more ideas.