Harvesting Your Homegrown Herbs
There is something about being able to plant your own herbs and watch them flourish. Nothing quite compares to plucking fresh herbs right from the garden when cooking delicious meals. That is so sweet. But now that you’ve got this beautiful bounty, knowing when and how to harvest properly can make a big difference in the flavour and freshness of your herbs.
Determining the best time to harvest your herbs depends on what part of the plant you plan on using.
Leaves - best collected as they open in the spring and summer months
Flowers - best collected as they start to bloom
Fruit & Berries - best collected as they become ripe
Roots - best collected in the fall
Here are a few general tips to keep in mind when harvesting:
The best time to pick herbs is in the morning, after the dew has dried
Pick culinary herbs before they bloom at the peak of their maturity to ensure they have the highest level of active constituents (be sure to pinch any buds before they flower)
Never pick more than ⅓ of the plant
Be gentle, harvest herbs with care
Once you know what part of the plant you’re looking for, you’ll want to collect material from healthy plants, discarding any damage parts to avoid disease or decay. It’s a good idea to use a basket or wooden tray when you’re collecting so that you can lay your herbs flat and avoid misidentification.
Lets take a look at a few common culinary herbs in closer details:
Basil - When you’re picking in small amounts, pinch healthy leaves off several inches from the top of the plant, right above a leaf pair. This will also encourage the plant to fill out.
When harvesting in large amounts, cut from the top down, harvesting to a third of the total plant height.
Basil is an annual, so at the end of the season, harvest the entire plant, and cut the stems to the ground.
Chives - Using kitchen scissors, clip from the outside, at least ½ inch up from the soil once the leaves are at least 6 inches long. Chives are perennials, so once you’ve done your final harvest, just let the plant die back and leave it alone.
Mint - Mint is such a strong grower, that it’s best planted in the ground, or in a pot large enough to keep up with this vigorous plant. Harvesting this beauty is simple, you can clip anywhere, anytime, and do it often. If you’re doing a full harvest, wait until the plant flowers, then you can cut it back to the first set of leaves. Mint is a perennial and will die back in the winter months. You can leave it where it is for the winter, and it will grow back in the spring.
Personally, I loved clipping bits here and there through the summer to add into drinks, and meals.
Rosemary - Similar to mint, this plant is also pretty easy to grow, and a great option if you’re just starting to grow herbs. Simply, clip anywhere on the stem. Rosemary is also a perennial, so let it die back at the end of the season, and it will re-grow in the spring.
Sage - If you’re growing this plant from seed, its best to wait until year 2 if you can, before harvesting. With this plan, you can cut right at the stem to encourage new growth. Sage is also a perennial so let it die back at the end of the season, and you’ll see it again in the spring.
As you can see, each plant has slightly different techniques required for proper harvesting, so be sure to double check before harvesting.
Before deciding to harvest, be sure that you’ve got enough time to process your herbs shortly after clipping them. Fresh plant material deteriorates very quickly, including any medicinally active constituents. Having a fresh harvest go to waste, would be oh so tragic.
For tips on how to preserve your herbs, check out our post Preserving Your Herbs
Spending time caring for plants brings me so much joy, and really helps me feel grounded and connected to the earth. I hope you find the same happiness in those simple moments outside.