On 7 Jan 2004 14:27:03 -0800, (Becca) wrote:

Frogleg wrote:

after someone wrote:
Basil does like light - but otherwise is quite happy indoors.

?? Otherwise how?

What was the disagreement here?

The statement doesn't make sense. It's like saying I like food, but
otherwise am happy without.

Not a couple of
leaves of basil to flavor a small dish of red sauce, but bushes of
brilliant healthy leaves to make jars of pesto.

And when you are young and poor (hence living in a dingy/dimly lit
apartment) and you just want to grow something...you can make do with
a couple of leaves of basil to flavor red sauce.

Don't make assumptions. I have been young and poor, and now am, ahem,
older and poor (which is worse). And as I noted, I have lived with
many low-light situations and only achieved the joy of full sun when I
had a community garden plot. My point, perhaps badly expressed, was
that sufficient sunlight makes all the difference in the world. I *do*
sympathize with the desire to have (useful) green things growing
indoors. It pains me, however, to see recommendations for just putting
a pot on a windowsill to have a year-round supply of herbs of every
sort.

But herbs are almost all full
sun plants, which means 6+ hrs of direct sunlight per day, not 2hrs of
sun and enough light to read by for another 4.

They don't rock. My basil is not better than your outdoor version.
But it, like the tomatoes I grew last summer in the window, is better
than nothing.

No disagreement there. :-) It sounds as if you have done very well.
I'm just trying to pass along my experience that in general, indoor
conditions just don't supply enough light for really satisfactory
results with full-sun plants.