Bringing Herbs Indoors for Winter
What to Rescue, What to Let Go
The clocks go back at 2 am on Sunday 25 October, and for plenty of gardeners that is the moment autumn stops being a mood and becomes a to-do list. The evenings close in, the pots by the back door start to look a bit tired, and a question comes up: should some of those herbs be coming inside?
The honest answer is that it depends on the herb. Some are tough enough to stay exactly where they are, and we covered those in our guide to hardy herb plants that survive a UK winter outdoors. Others will sulk, shrivel or give up at the first frost. And a few are better off on the compost heap than on your windowsill.
This blog sorts bringing herbs indoors into three simple piles: what to rescue, what to leave where it is, and what to let go. You will also learn how to prepare plants before they come in, keep them happy through the darker months, and avoid the mistakes that catch most people out.
Bringing Herbs Indoors for Winter: The Short Answer
If you only have a minute, here is the quick version of this article:
Pot up and bring in: chives, mint, parsley, and tarragon, which the RHS suggests keeping on a south-facing windowsill through winter.
Rescue if you can offer warmth and light: basil and lemon verbena. Both are tender and will not cope with frost.
Leave outside: rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano. These can live outside all year once established.
Let go: coriander and any annual that has finished, because annuals die after setting seed.
Article outline:
1. When Should You Start Bringing Herbs Indoors?
Timing matters more than any date on the calendar. Tender and borderline hardy plants need protection at the first warning of frost, which in the UK usually falls somewhere between September and November. That is a wide window, so it is worth watching the weather forecast rather than relying on a fixed date.
Our advice is to move tender herbs a little early rather than a night too late. A plant brought in a week before the first frost loses nothing. One caught by frost can lose everything. The clocks changing on 25 October is a handy reminder to check your pots, though it is not a frost date, so treat it as the deadline for having your plan in place.
2. Bringing Herbs Indoors.
Which Tender Herbs Should You Bring Indoors Before the First Frost?
Herbs such as chives, mint, parsley, and tarragon grown outdoors can be potted up and brought in for the winter, where they can stand on a south-facing windowsill. That is a sound place to start. Here is how each one behaves.
Mint
Mint is hardy, so it will usually survive outside, however it will die off before emerging again in the spring - but a pot on the windowsill gives you fresh leaves for tea when the garden has gone quiet. Keep it in its own pot, since, as our beginner's guide to herb plants explains, it spreads vigorously and will take over a pot of mixed herbs given the chance. Pepperpot grows around 40 varieties through the season, so there is plenty to choose from.
Chives
Chives naturally die back outdoors in late autumn and return from the base in spring. Lifting a clump and potting it up means you can keep snipping fresh leaves through winter instead of waiting for spring.
Parsley
Parsley is technically biennial but is usually grown as an annual, and it tolerates partial shade better than most herbs, according to our beginner's guide. That makes it forgiving on a windowsill that is not perfectly sunny. Flat-leaf types tend to have a more intense flavour than curly parsley. However, it’s a hardy herb so it will survive outside if you don’t want to move it indoors.
French tarragon
French tarragon is a perennial that should be included in the list of herbs worth potting up and bringing in for winter. So if you have a healthy clump, a windowsill pot is a good home for it. If it dies off it’s essential to keep it very dry and wait for it to emerge again around February - at which point you can start to care for it again.
Basil (if you still have a healthy plant)
Be realistic with basil. It needs warmth and sun. If yours is still lush, move it to your warmest, brightest windowsill and water in the morning, since basil hates having wet roots overnight. If it is already tired, there is no shame in letting it go and starting fresh next summer.
Lemon verbena
Lemon verbena is not fully hardy. It needs winter protection, either thick mulch over the roots or a container you can move to a frost-free spot. It is also deciduous, so do not panic when the leaves drop. That is normal, and it will not need your sunniest kitchen windowsill, just somewhere safe from frost.
3. What to Let Go, and What to Leave Outside.
Let go: coriander and other finished annuals
Coriander is an annual that dies after setting seed, and it does not last long as a windowsill herb, becoming pale in low light and bolting. If yours has already run to seed, thank it and move on.
If you miss the leaves, you can extend your harvest into early winter by sowing in autumn under cloches or in a greenhouse. If it hasn’t gone to seed and is still growing happily outside, it is a hardy annual, and so it will survive outside and provide you with leaves until it does so.
Leave outside: rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano
These are the herbs people most often worry about, and the ones that most often do best left alone. In fact, mint, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sage can live outside all year once established.
Our own guide to how many herb plants you need adds that Mediterranean herbs like rosemary tend to do better outdoors in the long term, so resist the urge to smuggle them onto the kitchen sill.
If your outdoor pots are exposed to very cold weather, protect containers from freezing by wrapping them in bubble polythene. Our September guide has more on protecting hardy herbs through winter.
4. How to Prepare Herbs Before Bringing Them Indoors.
A few minutes of preparation now saves a lot of fuss later. Plants that have spent the summer outdoors can carry pests and tired growth indoors, so it is worth a quick once-over before they cross the threshold.
Bringing herbs indoors without bringing pests in
Sap-feeding pests such as aphids, scale insects, mealybugs and red spider mite can be found on indoor plants at any time of year. Aphids tend to gather around buds and new growth, scale often sits along the main veins on the underside of leaves, and mealybugs cluster where leaves join the stem. Obviously, we always recommend non-chemical control wherever possible, so check carefully and deal with problems before the plant comes in.
Look under the leaves and along the stems, not just the top of the plant
Check the surface of the compost and the drainage holes
Keep newly brought-in herbs apart from your other houseplants for a short while, so any problem does not spread
Go easy on the watering, because fungus gnats are associated with damp compost, and letting compost dry out can reduce their numbers
Potting up and trimming
Choose a pot with drainage holes. Herbs hate sitting in water, so this matters more than how pretty the pot is.
Use fresh, peat-free compost. Use peat-free multi-purpose compost for potting on herbs such as basil, and the same principle works well for most herbs on a windowsill.
Lift garden clumps carefully. For chives and mint, dig up a healthy section with plenty of root and pot it up in the new container.
Trim back leggy or tired growth, and remove any dead leaves, so the plant puts its energy into fresh shoots.
Give it a drink, then let it drain. If you can, pop it somewhere sheltered for a day or two before moving it to its final spot.
5. Looking After Herbs Indoors Through Winter.
Light
Light is what most windowsill herbs lack in winter. South-facing windowsills are best for potted herbs, and for houseplants in general, the advice is to move plants out of dark corners and into a brighter spot during the darker months, as set out in our winter houseplant care tips. Our guide to growing herbs in containers also suggests supplementing a sunny windowsill with a grow light during winter.
One more tip: move pots off the windowsill into a warmer part of the room when the curtains are drawn, because it can get cold overnight, and avoid windows that let in a draught.
Watering
Overwatering is the classic winter mistake. The RHS horticultural advisors point out that with lower light levels and lower temperatures, plants grow less and so need less water, and they advise tipping away any excess that collects after watering. As our beginner's guide puts it, a good rule is to water when the top inch of compost feels dry to the touch, then water thoroughly and let the excess drain.
Feeding and harvesting
The same RHS advice says winter houseplants need little to no feeding, which suits herbs well, since they do not need much feeding anyway. Harvest lightly and often rather than stripping a plant in one go, because new growth is slower in winter and plants need time to recover.
How many herbs fit on a windowsill?
According to our guide on how many herb plants you need, a standard UK kitchen windowsill comfortably holds three to five small herb plants in 9cm pots. For more ideas on what suits a sill, see our guide to windowsill herbs.
6. Common Mistakes When Bringing Herbs Indoors.
Waiting until the frost has already arrived. Tender herbs rarely recover from a hard frost, so move them a little early.
Bringing in herbs that are happier outside. Rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano are best left out in the fresh air.
Overwatering. Plants that grow less need less water, and soggy compost invites fungus gnats and root problems.
Skipping the pest check. It takes two minutes and can save your other houseplants.
Leaving pots on a cold sill behind drawn curtains. A few degrees of difference overnight can be the end of a tender herb.
Expecting summer growth in winter. Plants slow right down in the darker months, so pick sparingly and be patient.
Conclusion
Bringing herbs indoors for winter is less about saving everything and more about choosing well. Pot up the herbs that reward a warm windowsill, such as mint, chives, parsley and tarragon, give tender favourites like basil and lemon verbena a frost-free home if you can, and leave the tough Mediterranean herbs to look after themselves outside. Let the finished annuals go, check for pests, go easy on the watering, and you will have fresh leaves to pick long after the garden has gone quiet.
Are You Ready to Bring Some Fresh Herbs Indoors?
We grow our herbs peat-free at our family nursery in Hampshire and supply them as healthy, established plants in 9cm pots, ready for a windowsill or the garden. Shop Pepperpot herb plants from £3.50 each, and enjoy free UK delivery on orders over £50. The range changes weekly, so browse what is ready now.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bringing Herbs Indoors
1. When should I bring herbs indoors for winter in the UK?
Protect tender and borderline hardy plants at the first warning of frost, which usually falls between September and November. Watch the forecast and move tender herbs a little early.
2. Which herbs should I bring indoors for winter?
The RHS suggests potting up chives, mint, parsley and tarragon and standing them on a south-facing windowsill.
3. Which herbs can stay outside over winter in the UK?
Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and mint can live outside all year once established. If pots are exposed to hard freezing, wrap the containers in bubble polythene.
4. Can basil survive winter indoors?
Basil is not hardy in the UK and needs warmth and sun. Bring plants indoors at the end of the season to keep them going into autumn; expect slow growth and treat it as a bonus rather than a winter crop.
5. Can I bring rosemary indoors for winter?
You can, but you rarely need to. Rosemary is evergreen, and once established, Mediterranean herbs tend to do better outdoors in the long term, so leave it outside in a sunny, well-drained spot.
6. How much light do herbs need indoors in winter?
Our beginner's guide recommends at least four to six hours of direct light per day. A south-facing windowsill is best, and a grow light can top up natural light during the darkest months.
7. How often should I water herbs indoors in winter?
Less often than in summer. Water when the top inch of compost feels dry, then drain away any excess. Remember that plants growing less in low light and cooler temperatures need less water.
8. Why do I have tiny black flies around my herb pots?
These are most likely fungus gnats, also called sciarid flies, which are associated with damp compost. Allowing the compost to dry out can reduce their numbers, and yellow sticky traps can catch adult flies.
9. Are Pepperpot herb plants suitable for growing indoors?
Yes. Pepperpot herbs are grown peat-free on our family nursery in Hampshire and supplied in 9cm pots, ready for a windowsill or to plant in the garden. Choose herbs that suit your light, such as mint, chives and parsley.
