It is generally recommended to keep rosemary in a pot. After all, most varieties of this herb from the Mediterranean coast are not hardy and should therefore be brought indoors in winter. However, rosemary should not stay indoors all year round because it is too dark (even on a south-facing window!) and too warm.
Can you keep rosemary in your apartment?
Rosemary should not be kept indoors permanently as it is too dark and warm for the Mediterranean plant. In winter, rosemary can overwinter in a cool, bright and frost-free place to allow vegetation to rest and avoid pest infestation.
Rosemary belongs outside
Actually, a window sill full of herb pots would be very practical, especially in the kitchen, after all, the way to the cooking pot isn't that far. But with a few exceptions, most culinary herbs are not suitable for cultivation in the home - including rosemary. In summer, the Mediterranean plant wants to be in a sunny, sheltered spot either in the garden or on the balcony. It is simply too dark in the apartment for the sun-hungry plant because the window panes filter the incoming sunlight extremely strongly. What seems bright to us already means a dark night for the plants.
Exception: overwintering rosemary
You can only bring your rosemary into the house in the cold season, although it should not be left in the heated living room. Rosemary is adapted to changing seasons and therefore needs hibernation. In the warm living room, however, it will remain in the vegetation phase and will very quickly let its needles hang down due to depleted energy reserves. It is best to overwinter the plant in a bright and cool, but frost-free place with temperatures of around 10 °C.
House keeping promotes pest infestation
A rosemary kept indoors will most likely groan and be quickly attacked by pests due to its weakened nature. The experienced rosemary owner is already familiar with this phenomenon from overwintering, as most pests appear towards the end of winter. Rosemary is particularly at risk from spider mites and thrips, plant lice such as mealybugs, scale insects and mealybugs, as well as various fungi that can attack both the leaves and the roots.
Tips & Tricks
: If you want to grow herbs like rosemary, don't buy pots from the supermarket. These herbs, which are bred very quickly, are intended for quick consumption and usually die quickly. Instead, you can get plants from the gardener or grow rosemary yourself.