How to grow herbs indoors under a grow light

A grow light lets you grow herbs indoors anywhere, even in a spot with no window at all. As a quick answer: use a full-spectrum LED, hang it about 6 to 12 inches above the plants, and run it 12 to 16 hours a day on a timer. Get those three things right and a windowless corner grows basil as well as a sunny sill. How much light herbs need in the first place is covered in how much light do herbs need.

Step 1: Choose the light

A full-spectrum LED is the default choice for home herbs: efficient, low-heat, and it supplies the full range of light herbs use. Clip-on and small panel LEDs are plenty for a few pots. Which specific lights suit a windowsill or shelf is covered in best grow lights for herbs. You do not need a large, powerful fixture for a handful of herbs.

Step 2: Set the distance

Hang or clip the light 6 to 12 inches above the tops of the plants for a typical small LED. Too far away and herbs stretch toward the light and go leggy; too close and you can scorch the leaves. As the herbs grow, raise the light to keep the gap steady — the same distance logic as in grow light distance for seedlings.

Step 3: Run it on a timer

Herbs want 12 to 16 hours of light a day, then darkness — they should not be lit 24 hours. A cheap plug-in timer removes the guesswork and keeps the schedule consistent even when you are away. The full reasoning is in how many hours should grow lights run for herbs.

Step 4: Fix leggy growth early

The most common indoor complaint is stretched, leggy herbs. It nearly always means one of three things: the light is too weak, too far away, or on too few hours. Move it closer, push the daily hours toward 16, or step up to a stronger full-spectrum light. Healthy indoor herbs stay compact and bushy, not tall and pale.

No window? No problem

Because a full-spectrum LED replaces sunlight, you can grow herbs in a windowless kitchen, a shelf, or even a cabinet — the light is doing the sun’s job. For the wider question of what herbs can manage with little or no natural light, see can herbs grow indoors without direct sunlight.