I once grew parsley and other herbs successfully in a very cold enclosed porch under 48" fluorescent lights supplemented by 4 incandescents. That was years ago. Typically a sunny window doesn't provide enough sun in winter. I have thyme and rosemary in my SW living room window now. The rosemary is ok but the thyme looks light starved and unhappy. I have 2 250 w fluorescents supplementing them, but it is not enough. On top of that it is too warm for them even though I keep the heat around 65.

If it is not absolutely essential to have fresh basil leaves in all your prepared foods, may I recommend that you make a simple pesto of olive oil and fresh basil instead. Upon searching the subject on the web, the idea that worked best is placing the pesto in plastic bags. Then you flatten them out and freeze them. I use this simple pesto as a seasoning only. Whenever I make a tomato sauce I just break off a chunk and add it in. You don't need much, as it is extremely strong. And when I make pizza, I just add a little to the garlic and olive oil mixture which I brush on the crust before adding the other ingredients. I would imagine that, if you wanted a traditional pesto, then you could thaw it and add the remaining cheeses and pine nuts. Since you are able to grow a large number of plants, a good stash of pesto would go a long way to reduce costs during the winter months. You would then only have to purchase a smaller amount of fresh when you absolutely need to sprinkle a few fresh leaves on a dish. When growing basil, keep pinching it back to keep the plant productive and bushy. Ideally, try to keep it from flowering. Usually when it starts to try blooming, I harvest it at this point. Parsley should do well for you, but it's at its best in cooler fall weather. My heat zone is a little cooler than yours, and I've harvested it well into November. With regard to rabbits, just buy a roll of that galvanized fencing which has smaller squares near rhe bottom and that should help. If in a garden area, I just purchase 3/4 inch PVC tubing, cut it in half and use it to prop up the fence. Or you can cut the fence to size to make cages for your plants. When used for seasoning, you can also make a simple parsley pesto as well, freeze as above, and use the fresh only when needed for garnishing. In addition, a quick search on the web also resulted in an oregano pesto. However, my inclination would be again to keep it simple using only the herb and oil and save it for seasoning purposes. Perhaps you could connect with an area farmer to grow the additional herbs you need. Happy cooking and much success to your restaurant!

I agree with Cheryl that certain herbs will need additional light. Some herbs grow well with less light, however, such as parsley, cilantro, and dill. These grow better for me in the winter, but when I grow them in the summer, I protect them from excessive sun. Other herbs will not taste as good when grown with less light - especially basil. I can keep basil alive outdoors in full sun through January, but it does not have the same flavor as basil grown in the summer. For basil, I think it is better to grow it with grow lights, or else preserve it as recommended by others. It's easy to make pesto and freeze it for later, and that tastes better than pesto made with weak basil. I buy fresh basil at Trader Joe's, and I do not find it to be expensive at all. It would be more expensive if I bought live plants that did not produce well, and so the basil I grow in the winter is only what happens to grow from seeds started in September or October. Other herbs that are easy to grow in winter include mint, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, but the oregano will not be as good as oregano grown with more sun. Rosemary and thyme both retain good flavor when dried IMO, and I froze some of my oregano when it reached its peak flavor. I think that freezing the herbs at peak flavor is the best way to go for the summer herbs. Lars

Pay close attention to the numbers. Most indoor 'plant food' is very high in nitrogen. For example, Miracle Gro water soluble plant food is 24-8-16. Nitrogen will grow a whole lot of very bland leaves. It's better to use a balanced fertilizer (all numbers the same), or something close to a balanced fertilizer. I recently bought some 'organic tomato, herb and vegetable' plant food that was 5-4-6, with added calcium and micro-nutrients. In the Miracle-Gro famliy, the "Shake 'n Feed Tomato, fruits and vegetables" stuff is a reasonable choice (9-4-12 plus micro-nutrients), although I don't really trust 'slow release' products that claim to last 3 months if you're putting it in small containers.