"Do they need strong light and heat?"
Truthfully, I don't know! I had my light setup enclosed with clear plastic to keep things pretty warm because I was trying to germinate a flat of Mediterranean vinca seeds, which do need to be pretty warm, and basically just put the rosemary container in there with them... I seem to do a lot of pretty random things when I'm gardening
.
Happily, the vinca also came up well -- for all I know, I might have just happened to plant the seeds at the correct moon phase time!
edited to say, I found this info at
https://www.westcoastseeds.com... :
"Sow indoors mid-February to mid-April. Transplant or direct sow starting in late May, once soil has warmed. Starting indoors is more reliable. Use bottom heat to maintain an optimal soil temperature of 27-32°C (80-90°F)."
and Tom Clothier's seed germination database (
http://tomclothier.hort.net/pa... ) states that rosemary needs light to germinate.
