Harvesting BasilHarvesting Basil

Lovely garden! Please contact me at qcasimir@wtjx.org with any questions or concerns that you may have as it pertains to your basil garden.

Good Question Anonymous!
It depends on how much you want use at a given time. If you have more than one plant,then harvest sections of one plant every 3-4 weeks.
Six inches above the soil is probably the lowest point at which you should harvest basil.

What you need to look for is a section along the stem where the leaf connects to the stem called the node. Make a 1/4-1/2 cut above the node using a sharp hand clippers or knife. Sometimes small,new leaves can be seen at the node junction where the leaf attaches to the stem. Avoid cutting those leaves because that is the new growth that will replace the harvested portion.

Note:If the basil plant flowers or shows signs of flowering,prune off that portion as described above. Flowering signals the end of life for that plant. Pruning will slow down this process and cause the plant to actually grow wider and thicker.

Thank you for the great info! I have about 4 basil plants in my box garden and some are starting to flower so your info is right on time. Frances

OK,thanks. Frances