Growing Herbs with Grow Lights – Best Herbs, Lights & Tips

Growing herbs with grow lights is one of the easiest and most effective ways to enjoy your own homegrown herbs indoors, even if you don’t have access to direct sunlight.

You won’t even need a sunny windowsill because artificial light for herbs—like LED grow lights—can help grow herbs indoors effectively.

Besides this, all the herbs that you grow using grow lights will grow faster and healthier, too. 

In this post, I will share everything you need to know about growing herbs under light, such as picking the right herbs for indoor gardening, the best grow light that I personally recommend you use, and much more. 

Besides giving you the best and easiest herbs to grow with artificial light, I will also give you some vegetables that you can consider growing.

 

Herbs That Can Be Grown With Grow Lights

You can grow almost all types of herbs under artificial lights, which makes it possible to build an indoor herb garden year-round.

I have personally tried growing mint, coriander, etc.

Because my mom and I use them in our kitchen, like when making a salad, when cooking something spicy, or for any seasoning (I’m sure you do too, especially the coriander, if you never tried, do it). 

However, I’m mentioning those fast-growing herbs and vegetables that thrive better under indoor grow lights.

You can grow others, too, like any of your favorites; just make sure you are providing proper light and nutrition through soil, water, etc.

Here, I recommend you to grow only those which I or someone whom I know has grown. So now let’s know which herbs you can grow with artificial lights.

Also read: DIY Vertical Garden with Plastic Bottles

Basil

Basil is one of the most popular and easiest herbs to grow with artificial lights, especially under full-spectrum LED grow lights.

I use Basil in my tea as it has many health benefits, such as improving digestion, relieving stress, etc. 

You might even be surprised to know Basil is considered a holy plant in India. 

There is a day dedicated to this, which is 25th December; it’s called Tulsi Poojan Diwas, which means Basil Worship Day. 

Consider growing varieties like Genovese and Sweet Basil; they’re good for indoor gardening with grow lights.

 

Parsley

I really like two varieties of this for indoor gardening: Curly and Italian flat-leaf parsley. 

However, they’ll grow slower and can take about 8 to 10 weeks under indoor gardening grow lights—but it’s still worth the wait.

 

Cilantro

In many regions, especially in the UK and India, this plant is called coriander. 

I use it for seasoning salads and egg rolls. It’s also very easy to grow. 

You can plant it in containers, buckets, or even upcycled plastic bottles; it is ideal for a DIY indoor herb garden with artificial lighting.

You only have to sprinkle some coriander seeds (make sure they are cracked for better germination), keep the soil moist, and it will be ready to harvest in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Also read: Best Edible Plants to Grow in Florida

Mint

It grows well under artificial light and spreads very fast. 

Therefore, I recommend you grow it in pots when setting up your indoor herb garden with grow lights.

Speaking about the verities, I personally recommend Peppermint and spearmint. 

 

Thyme

It’s a slow-growing herb that loves bright light, which makes it ideal for indoor herb gardens with grow lights. 

You can consider growing the English Thyme variety.

Btw this plant has a chemical that helps in bacterial and fungal infections. Plus, it also relieves coughing and has antioxidant effects.

 

Oregano

This also thrives very well in grow lights, especially the Greek oregano variety. 

You’ll have to provide a few hours of indoor plant grow lights, and within 6 to 8 weeks, it’ll be ready to harvest.

 

Chives

It grows fast under grow light as it doesn’t require too much light, unlike other herbs.

And it gets ready to harvest in 4 to 6 weeks. 

Most herbs that grow under grow light will be ready to harvest in 3 to 8 weeks depending on what variety you choose, how you take care of it, provide it nutrition, and keep it under grow light. 

However, you should harvest once you see your plant’s leaves are big enough.

Also read: Best Fruit Trees That Grow Well in Texas

Easiest Herbs to Grow Indoors With Grow Lights

Now, if you are a beginner gardener, you may find a few herbs hard. So here are the easiest herbs to grow indoors with grow lights:

Lemon Balm

This one is an easy and fast-growing herb, and you won’t have to take care of it like a babysitter. 

It’s one of the best herbs to grow indoors with artificial light, especially for beginners.

You should grow it, especially if you love having tea. It’s a good alternative to Basil.

 

Sorrel

It is tart and fresh and grows fast under grow lights; it can be harvested multiple times.

 

Winter Savory

If you are considering growing herbs in the kitchen area, this plant is perfect as it’s a low-maintenance plant, too.

 

Stevia

It is a good alternative to processed sugar, and Stevia does grow well under grow lights. 

However, you will just have to provide it with more humidity than other herbs that I have mentioned. 

You can directly use its leaves instead of sugar in your tea, coffee, or any other drink; you won’t get as many calories as you’d get from artificial sugar, so it’s a beneficial herb and pretty good for your health.

 

Bay Leaf

This herb will grow slowly, but you can still have it as it is easy to grow indoors, and you will have to provide it with consistent but moderate light.

These were 5 of my favorite herbs that I consider beginners to grow indoors using artificial lights or even sunlight. 

They are low maintenance and quite useful, especially like the Stevia that you can use in your drinks as an alternative to artificial sugars.

 

Vegetables You Can Grow With Artificial Lights 

You know all the herbs that you can grow indoors using artificial lights. 

However, here are some vegetables that also do well with grow lights indoors; I recommend you try them, too:

Lettuce and other leafy greens like spinach and arugula grow well under indoor grow lights for vegetables, and they’re fast growers, too, with proper lighting and care.

If you provide everything like good soil, water, etc, you can harvest leaves within 3-4 weeks.

Radishes: This is often ready to harvest within a month.

You can try varieties like Cherry Belle, Scarlet Globe, or Rover — they are ideal for indoor vegetable gardening with grow lights.

Microgreens: You can grow microgreens like kale, mustard, beet, etc.

They work well under grow lights, and you can harvest them within 2 weeks.

Having all these veggies alongside herbs will make your garden beautiful, so you won’t just enjoy fresh herbs but vegetables, too. 

 

Best Grow Lights for Growing Herbs Indoors

If you want to grow herbs with grow lights, it is important to choose the right light that works well for indoor herb gardening. 

Here are some things to consider when choosing lights:

Types of grow light you need to Choose

I recommend you use LED grow lights for indoor herbs, as they are the most popular among indoor gardeners and highly efficient for growing herbs indoors.

The reason why I am recommending them to you is that they consume less energy and generate less heat, plus they are also customizable, like you can customize light spectrums for plants. 

Besides this, you can also use fluorescent lights, but they are heavy and less efficient, so I would recommend you go with LED grow lights for plants.

 

What to look for when buying lights:

I want you to choose full-spectrum LED grow lights for herbs that provide both blue and red wavelengths. 

These wavelengths help your herbs grow strong and healthy.

Besides this, also look for brightness adjustable features and automate time scheduling.

 

Where to buy the best grow lights for gardening

There are many places where you can buy grow lights for indoor plants. Amazon is the first choice, as you can order anything from there. 

Besides this, home improvement stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and specialty gardening shops are good places to buy grow lights for plants. 

By the way, I recommend brands like Spider Farmer, Mars Hydro, and Viparspectra.

Cost: LED grow lights costs vary by brand, but they typically start from $40-$50 for small setups.

But how much you’ll have to spend on growing lights depends on how large your indoor garden is. 

Now you know that spectrum LED lights with blue and red wavelengths with adjustable features are the best grow lights for growing herbs indoors.  

 

DIY Indoor Herb Garden with Grow Light Setup

When you want to grow herbs using grow lights, the first step is to set up your garden.

Here is a step-by-step DIY indoor herb garden setup with grow lights. I have covered everything from container choice to grow light placement for maximum herb yield.

 

Choose your containers: 

Herbs for indoor gardening with grow lights are often small.

So, you can grow them in different types of containers such as small pots, seedling trays, or even used items like old containers, buckets, soda bottles, etc.

Just make sure that whatever you’re using to grow your herbs has proper drainage holes.

 

Best Soil for Growing Herbs Indoors: 

The perfect soil that I recommend for growing herbs indoors is a light and well-draining potting mix, which should be specifically designed for herbs or vegetables. 

It should have ingredients like peat moss or coco coir, perlite, and compost.

These things are essential for proper aeration and nutrition. 

Besides this, you should avoid using garden soil because it’s too dense for containers and can cause waterlogging.

 

Right way to set up your grow light

When you place the plant in its spot, you will need to position the LED grow lights at least 8 to 10 inches above your plant. 

By the way, when you’re setting up the LED lights, you should use adjustable stands or hooks. 

Otherwise, as the plant grows, you’ll have a hard time keeping the light at the right distance. 

If you use adjustable hooks or stands, you can easily change the height of the light as needed.

Important things to keep in mind when growing herbs indoors with artificial lights

Timing: Grow lights are man-made, and they’re not as powerful as natural sunlight. 

That’s why you need to keep the light on for around 14 to 16 hours a day. 

However, if you can give your plants 2 to 3 hours of direct sunlight—by placing the container or pot in a sunny spot—you can reduce the grow light time to around 7 to 8 hours. 

If that’s not possible, then you should stick to 14 to 16 hours of artificial light daily.

Plant your seeds or seedlings: You need to follow the instructions that will be mentioned in your seed packet. 

However, I recommend there should be enough gap between two herb plants that one’s shadow shouldn’t cover another plant.

Water timing: 

Every time before providing water, you would want to touch the soil.

If you see that the top 1 inch is dry and starting to get hard, then you can give it water. 

Although, as you’ll be growing herbs indoors, the plants won’t need as much water as they would if you were growing them in direct sunlight.

 

Indoor Locations for Growing Herbs With Artificial Lights

Although you can grow herbs with grow lights anywhere in your home, when growing indoors, there are some specific places in your home that I recommend:

Kitchen: I prefer growing herbs indoors with artificial light in the kitchen because they are usually warm and have extra humidity as we use water a lot for cooking; plus, growing herbs in the kitchen is convenient.

For example, if you grow Basil in the kitchen, it’ll be right in front of your eyes, so you can always take a few leaves and add them to your tea.

Sunny windowsills: If you have windows in your kitchen or in your home, you can also place your plants there because, on windows, your plants can get more airflow and natural light, which will boost plant growth. 

I am not saying that it is necessary, but if it is available, then you must try growing herbs with artificial light and natural sunlight there.

You can use a small container, which you can easily keep on a windshield.

Balconies or enclosed patios: They’re always good to supplement light with grow lamps.

Living rooms or bedrooms: That’s good. If you want greenery indoors, just make sure the grow light is on a timer.

These were some of the best spots where I recommend growing herbs with artificial light. 

However, you can also choose spots based on your choice; just make sure the temperature should stay consistent. It shouldn’t be a place that gets too cold or too hot suddenly.

 

Soil, Watering, and Care Tip

Recommended soil for Indoor Herbs gardening: Do not use regular soil from the garden, as it is too dense and might even have pests. 

Instead, you need to use lightweight, nutrient-rich potting soil, as I have also discussed this before.

Watering: Now, how many times you have to provide water to your plant is dependent on the plant, but generally, you would want to check the soil before providing it with water. 

If it is dry, just provide it & make sure not to provide too much; it’ll damage roots, as herbs roots are already tiny, they can’t bear like giant plants.

Take care of plants: I sometimes pick up dead leaves in the morning, like one, two, three days, or once a week. So I recommend that to you.

Pests will always be there, so keep them away: When you are growing plants, especially herbs, to eat, you won’t be alone who would want to eat them. 

There will be some pests like spider mites, aphids, fungus gnats, etc.

And trust me, they will bother you a lot. And that’s why it’s important to keep them away. I recommend you use Neem Oil spray.

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overwatering: It’s kind of funny, but some people do it. 

They give too much water to their indoor plants—especially beginners—thinking the herbs will grow faster.

But it doesn’t work like that. 

Herbs grown indoors don’t need as much water as outdoor garden plants.

So always check the topsoil before watering if it’s dry an inch deep, water gently. 

Otherwise, hold off to avoid root rot, which is common in container gardening setups under artificial lights.

Wrong light distance: Don’t place your indoor grow lights too close to your herb plants—it can burn their leaves. 

On the other hand, if the light source is too far, you’ll get leggy and weak stems.

The ideal distance for most LED grow lights is about 8 to 10 inches above the plants, especially for tender herbs like Basil or cilantro.

Ignoring humidity is a big mistake: Indoor air can get very dry, especially during winter months. 

And this will affect your herb garden’s health, particularly plants like parsley and thyme.

So, You would want to increase humidity by misting occasionally or placing a humidity tray near your plant’s setup. 

Crowding plants: If you’re growing different types of herbs in one pot or placing them too close under your indoor garden setup, you’re making a common mistake. 

Herbs need space and proper airflow to thrive.

If they’re overcrowded, it will lead to fungal infections, yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and weaken your plant root development.

So it doesn’t matter if you’re growing using grow lights or on a sunny windowsill; always leave at least 4 to 5 inches of space between each herb plant. 

That’s important for healthy indoor herb growth.

Not rotating plants: I know you’d grow herb plants indoors using artificial lights, but I still want you to provide them with some natural light, not every day, but whenever possible, for a few days at least.

These were some very common mistakes; if you avoid them, you can keep your indoor herbs garden healthy and productive.

 

Conclusion

Growing herbs with grow lights or Artificial lights is very simple, and it’s easy.

It’s a simple way to grow your own herbs and enjoy year-round without really needing direct sunlight. 

I personally have coriander as I use it more often, but you can have many others like holy Basil, mint, lemon balm, etc. 

All you’ve done is choose the plant, find a spot to grow herbs, and then provide lights (through grow lights, water, good soil, etc. 

 

How do you set up a grow light for herbs?

To set up a grow light for herbs, you just have to hang them 8 to 10 inches above your plants.

But make sure light hits all areas of your plants. Plus, also choose the correct Artificial lights, such as a full-spectrum LED grow.

 

How long to leave grow lights on for herbs?

Most herbs that I mentioned need approximately 12 to 16 hours of light every day. 

If you provide less light, then your herbs will grow slowly. 

And if you can’t remember a time, then you can set an alarm because providing some darkness like 8 is important too for the natural cycle that plants like. 

 

Do herbs grow well under grow lights?

Yes, herbs grow very well under grow lights, especially Basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, mint, etc. 

However, you must use the best artificial lights, such as full-spectrum lights, and keep the timing right (12–16 hours a day).

If you follow this simple process, your herbs will thrive indoors, like in a room that has no sunlight or too little. 

 

Do plants need to be directly under grow light?

Yes, you have to provide direct grow lights to your plants. It is good for their growth. 

If your plants are getting sunlight from too far or from one side, they won’t get enough intensity, which will cause slow growth. 

So keep the grow light’s height around 8 to 10 inches above your plant. And you should keep adjusting it as your plant continues to grow.

 

Can herbs grow with under-mount light?

Yes, you can grow herbs under mount lights, but they won’t grow as well as they would grow under full-spectrum light because they mimic the kind of natural sunlight.