Any experience with grow lights?

No, no.

We are not planning to use the basement for an illegal cash crop, nothing like that.

Rather, Antonius and I have a dozen or so herbs growing in small pots that we’ve brought inside now that chilly weather seems to have finally set in. They are set up where they’ll get as much natural light as possible, but of course the days are growing shorter and the sunlight is weaker.

We want to add an artificial light source to help keep our plants green and more or less thriving as long as possible. Here’s a website we found with a bit of googling:
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide3.shtml

But it would be great to know if anyone here has some practical experience with this and/or any recommendations.

Thanks in advance,
Amata

Amata,

I am doing this as well. You can get a cheap fluorescent fixture at Home Depot or Menards, and Home Depot also has grow light bulbs at less than the plant places or catalogs, if I recall correctly. I've started seeds under them, this is the first year I intend to overwinter herbs.

I plan to bring the plants in, trim them way back, and put the grow lights on a timer that will give the plants about 5 hours of light a day. Mine will not have any natural light, but I think the key to all this is to put the light fixture up high. When starting seeds you want it very close, and grow lights are a pretty intense light source. I want these herbs (verbena, rosemary, a couple others) to have an environment that more mimics winter--weak sun, short days--than spring.

I also plan to use some capillary matting to keep them moist from below rather than letting them dry out and then get very wet. That will also help me in case I forget to check on them:-)

My elderly neighbor next door brings in her hibiscus bushes every winter and puts them into basically a dormant state in her basement, near a window, but with no lights. They are scraggly when she puts them out in spring, but leaf out beautifully in no time. I've known many an old-timer who overwintered geraniums in this way. I'm planning to throw my scented geraniums under the grow lights as well.

Hope that helps.
Thanks.
Ann

I've done a lot of this. You can save on costs by using an inexpensive shop light with one regular fluorescent tube and one warm tube, which together give you the same spectrum of light as grow-light tubes.

To grow herbs successfully indoors, you need lots of light and more warmth and moisture than you might expect. Basil is easy. Rosemary is particularly difficult.

Herbs indoors, especially if they don't get enough light and heat, tend not to have as intense flavor as summer herbs grown outdoors. When fresh herbs became readily available in grocery stores during the winter, I stopped trying fussing over overwintering my own. But it's fun while you're into it.

I misread, I am not planning on overwintering for the sake of having fresh herbs in winter, but to keep some tender perennials alive through the winter. I want them to go as dormant as possible.

I have been successful with rosemary by putting it in the coldest conditions I have indoors--it is very fussy if it is too warm.

I just brought my rosemary and thyme in last night. Previous attempts at overwintering rosemary has been a failure.

A cool, sunny place? A warm, dark place?

And what about thyme and basil? Basil is tough to kill but I never did thyme before.

I have a sunny place and I would like to keep getting fresh herbs all winter (because I'm cheap).

Any suggestions?

We overwinter our herbs each year. I have success with oregano, sage and chives in a south-facing window, and rosemary in a west-facing window. We water small amounts each day and use a water spray for leaves. We leave the blinds up all winter, so if it's light outside, the herbs are getting it. I cook with the herbs year-round and don't notice a taste difference (although I don't doubt there is one). I love having sage and rosemary during my hibernating, comfort food winter period.