Problems with Herbs Brought Indoors for the Winter
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Heather Holberton
Posted on: November 25, 2006

I recently brought in my potted herbs form outside for the winter, and they are all dying on me and I can’t figure out why! They were all doing great outside. The sage died the quickest. My peppermint was huge and now it’s down to a few stalks with some new growth. My lemon thyme is now turning brown, and my chives are turning yellow. I bought some lemon balm from the grocery store, and even that does not seem to doing too well. I am beginning to think that the air quality in my apartment is really bad (my boyfriend smokes alot) or I have insufficient lighting because I have only north south and west windows. Are herbs more sensitive than houseplants? Or did I shock them by bringing them in? I also brought in geraniums and they are also fading fast...

Shock and insufficient light are the most likely causes. You may have to invest in a double light fluorescent fixture to hang over your herbs to give them enough light. For next year read in the Q&A part of our web-site on how to bring plants indoor for the winter. The smoke will damage both your and your boyfriends health, but the herbs are not likely to be affected. They will help to clean the air.

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