Almost all herbs are plants for full sun. Some, in particular the mint family, will tolerate a certain amount of shade, but even those will thrive better in more light. This can present a challenge for indoor herb gardeners, since few places in a house can provide the conditions of a full sun outdoor garden plot. While it is possible to grow a potted herb garden on a windowsill, an herb garden grow light will make the task easier, more enjoyable and rewarding.

Herb Garden Grow Lights Produce Stronger Plants

Plants grown on even the sunniest windowsills tend to try to “reach” for the light. They will grow longer stems, leaning toward the glass to position their leaves to get as much light as possible. It is a natural plant habit known as phototropism. While normal, it results in leggy plants—ones with long stems and fewer leaves—that grow lopsided toward the light source. The long stems are weaker and the plant produces far fewer of the leaves that the herb gardener is growing them for

By placing an indoor herb garden under grow lights, the light source that the plant seeks out through phototropism is nearby, and directly overhead. The plants can grow straight up and strong, and the leaves are not starved for sunlight.

Herb Garden Grow Lights Promote Greener, More Flavorful Leaves

If an herb plant is not getting enough light, the leaves are thinner, making them more delicate and prone to damage. The leaves also tend to be longer and larger, as the plant seeks to maximize the area absorbing what light it gets. Without enough light, variegated varieties of herbs may lose the variegation that makes the variety appealing to gardeners.

When the plant’s leaves get all the light they need, they produce more of the essential oils that lend herbs their distinctive aromas and flavors, and in the case of medicinal herb, the active compounds. Under grow lights, herb gardens produce better quality herbs for culinary or medicinal use.

Herb Garden Grow Lights Encourage Plants to Bloom

Herbs grown for flowers, such as chamomile and lavender, will not bloom in insufficient light. Flowering requires a large output of energy from the plant, and lower light levels do not allow the plants to accumulate enough energy to put up a flower stalk and bloom. The plants may produce lush foliage, but don’t take the next step of flowering, and setting seed on herbs grown for seed. If the herb plant does flower, the blooms will be smaller and less colorful. An herb garden grow light ensures that the plants can photosynthesize enough energy to produce the flowers the gardener wants.