I once grew parsley and other herbs successfully in a very cold enclosed porch under 48" fluorescent lights supplemented by 4 incandescents. That was years ago. Typically a sunny window doesn't provide enough sun in winter. I have thyme and rosemary in my SW living room window now. The rosemary is ok but the thyme looks light starved and unhappy. I have 2 250 w fluorescents supplementing them, but it is not enough. On top of that it is too warm for them even though I keep the heat around 65.

They will all do fine outside this summer. As for surviving the winter: -Basil is an annual, so it won't survive the winter. -I know that parsley is a biennial, but I have only used it as an annual. -Chives, oregano, and thyme should all survive the winter with no problem. Chives are extremely tough. -Rosemary ... it depends. I have it in a large clay pot that I put in an unheated, glassed-in porch for the winter. The rosemary that I bought last summer overwintered well, but other winters, rosemary hasn't survived for me. Other herbs that I have tried: -Sage (the plain green kind): very tough. -Lavender: I usually keep these in pots and move them into the porch for the winter, but I have grown some in the ground, too. I haven't found French or Spanish lavender to be hardy here. Some of the English lavenders (Munstead, Hidcote, and Blue Cushion)have been pretty hardy, though. -Bay leaf plant: I bring this into the house for the winter. This is the third summer that I've had the same plant (it's now about four feet high).

I agree, indoor potted herbs is all dependent on your windows for available sunlight. Extra growing lamps should work, I've never done that though. rosemary jane, for drying out problems, if you haven't done this try getting large 3 gal? (about 12"diameter 12" tall) terra cotta pots or bigger. Even for small plants, I found that these were big enough to kinda retain moisture. I guess the smaller pots just can dry out faster. The terra cotta seems to be better at keeping water in too probably cause they heat up on all sides more than the terracotta ones. Look for a sale cause it can get pricy. The long narrow terra cotta planters also work well. Also use sphagnum peat moss (the pretty looking stuff) as a mulch--though any mulch would probably work--to help keep the water in. I did this in atlanta and had a lot of success with potted patio gardening.

If it is not absolutely essential to have fresh basil leaves in all your prepared foods, may I recommend that you make a simple pesto of olive oil and fresh basil instead. Upon searching the subject on the web, the idea that worked best is placing the pesto in plastic bags. Then you flatten them out and freeze them. I use this simple pesto as a seasoning only. Whenever I make a tomato sauce I just break off a chunk and add it in. You don't need much, as it is extremely strong. And when I make pizza, I just add a little to the garlic and olive oil mixture which I brush on the crust before adding the other ingredients. I would imagine that, if you wanted a traditional pesto, then you could thaw it and add the remaining cheeses and pine nuts. Since you are able to grow a large number of plants, a good stash of pesto would go a long way to reduce costs during the winter months. You would then only have to purchase a smaller amount of fresh when you absolutely need to sprinkle a few fresh leaves on a dish. When growing basil, keep pinching it back to keep the plant productive and bushy. Ideally, try to keep it from flowering. Usually when it starts to try blooming, I harvest it at this point. Parsley should do well for you, but it's at its best in cooler fall weather. My heat zone is a little cooler than yours, and I've harvested it well into November. With regard to rabbits, just buy a roll of that galvanized fencing which has smaller squares near rhe bottom and that should help. If in a garden area, I just purchase 3/4 inch PVC tubing, cut it in half and use it to prop up the fence. Or you can cut the fence to size to make cages for your plants. When used for seasoning, you can also make a simple parsley pesto as well, freeze as above, and use the fresh only when needed for garnishing. In addition, a quick search on the web also resulted in an oregano pesto. However, my inclination would be again to keep it simple using only the herb and oil and save it for seasoning purposes. Perhaps you could connect with an area farmer to grow the additional herbs you need. Happy cooking and much success to your restaurant!