A couple of things -

I harvest some fresh herbs in the summer and chop them up in my FP with olive oil. Then I can freeze the mix in small amounts.

I do bring some herbs in for the winter usually more to winter them over than to get a good harvest in the winter - right now I have chives, rosemary, tarragon, lemon grass, lemon verbena, tarragon and a mexican mint marigold.

Keep in mind that houses are usually much drier and darker than is ideal for growing plants. If you have a greenhouse then you will have better luck and I am jealous! That being said I feel like it's worth a try. My herbs inside will have less flavor and vigor than ones grown outside in the heat of summer. But in January any fresh flavor will make me happy.

I grow some herbs, like basil, outside and freeze with a bit of olive oil like agmss because some don't grow well fo rme inside. I do have a south facing large sliding door and some things (notably chives and parsley) do well there.

I have had no luck with rosemary, indoors or out, I don't know what I do wrong but I kill it, without exception.

So, some do OK inside, others not, but it'll depend on your location, sunlight, containers. I say go for it, it's better than no herbs at all and fresh IS incredibly expensive in the store, IMO.

Annie

I grew herbs under lights for a couple of years when I lived in an apartment on my own. If you have the space, it can be done, but you need dedicated lights on timers and regular watering. If your home is heated and humidity low, you need to mist the plants often. Most herbs are resistant to spider mites and other pests which infest indoor plants, but they need a LOT of light. I grew basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano, chives. Also dwarf tomatoes. I don't know if I would do it again, but it was good to have fresh herbs all through the winter months.

If you need more info, let me know.

Cheryl

I do have a spare room that is very bright and sunny. Your comments have persuaded me to give it a try.... why not. Thanks for you advice.

June

Growing herbs indoors, not enough light, dry air is not as big a problem as insects.

You have to keep spraying with organic insecticides to keep them away.

Still worth it.

dcarch

I grow Cilantro indoors because I only use a bit at a time. The bunches from the store go bad before I can use them.

I grew ginger root this year in pots on my deck. I started it indoors as it needs a longer growing season than Minnesota provides. I repotted part of one clump and brought it inside for the winter. I will break off pieces as I need it. I have a lot of sunlight but we'll see. A good friend's DIL is Hmong. She and her entire family grow ginger root indoors every winter and put it out in the summer. We'll see if I can pull this off. :-)

Like many, I dried my chives. I dried oregano and left it on the stalk to shake over things, but it is such a mess to use. I should go to the kitchen right now and put it in a jar.

I have pots of basil and parsley in my south facing living room window. They require tons of water, but they sure smell good when I brush against them. And mozzarella/basil sandwiches are soooo delicious.

I agree with Cheryl that certain herbs will need additional light. Some herbs grow well with less light, however, such as parsley, cilantro, and dill. These grow better for me in the winter, but when I grow them in the summer, I protect them from excessive sun. Other herbs will not taste as good when grown with less light - especially basil. I can keep basil alive outdoors in full sun through January, but it does not have the same flavor as basil grown in the summer. For basil, I think it is better to grow it with grow lights, or else preserve it as recommended by others. It's easy to make pesto and freeze it for later, and that tastes better than pesto made with weak basil. I buy fresh basil at Trader Joe's, and I do not find it to be expensive at all. It would be more expensive if I bought live plants that did not produce well, and so the basil I grow in the winter is only what happens to grow from seeds started in September or October.

Other herbs that are easy to grow in winter include mint, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, but the oregano will not be as good as oregano grown with more sun. Rosemary and thyme both retain good flavor when dried IMO, and I froze some of my oregano when it reached its peak flavor. I think that freezing the herbs at peak flavor is the best way to go for the summer herbs.

Lars