How to keep outdoor herbs alive over winter
Bringing outdoor herbs inside to escape frost usually causes them to drop leaves and grow tall, thin stems as they stretch for sunlight. When these weakened plants are moved back outside in the spring, their fragile stems easily break and wither away.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Bringing delicate herbs indoors before it freezesDid this help you?
- 2Adding mulch to hardy outdoor herbsDid this help you?
- 3Using a heated greenhouseDid this help you?
- 4Taking stem cuttings and propagating new plants in water instead of overwintering the entire mature plant.Did this help you?
- 5Pruning the plant down to two inches above the dirt before moving it back outside in the spring.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Last year I brought these two plants inside when it got close to frosts. Most of the leaves died in the transition and the ones that didn't grew very tall and thin stems, I assume trying to reach for more light that wasn't there.”source ↗
“When they went back outside last spring, almost all the stems broke, withered, and died.”source ↗
“Simply out of curiosity, if I wanted to try to keep every herb and have it come back next year, what would be my move?”source ↗
“I know keeping basil over winter is a longshot, but I figured why not give it a try at least once to say I did.”source ↗
“I’m done 6b so u don’t think my basil is making it through the winter loll”source ↗
“Personally, I've never gotten one to survive inside and look good.”source ↗
Where this came up
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