Temperatures for Indoor Winter Growing
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Karen
Posted on: October 01, 2010

If people have sites in their homes (e.g unused bedroom) that are cooler along with other warmer ones, would basil and lemon grass be the only herbs that would prefer the warmer? I’ve got thyme, rosemary, oregano, bay, cilantro, dill, parsley, savory, mint and chives in the cooler site.

There is a relationship between the amount of light and the temperature. Indoor light is always less than outdoor light, so for plants that normally prefer high light, a high temperature is bad because the plant wants to grow fast (because of the temp.) but the light is not sufficient to support fast growth. If the temperature is cooler then the plant will want to grow less quickly, at a rate better suited for the reduced light supply. However, basil and lemongrass suffer when temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius. The others won’t grow much at temperatures below 10 degrees, but they won’t suffer like basil (especially) does.

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