Harvesting basil, biting into tiny sun gold tomatoes, feeling my skin warm under the bright sun, drinking iced tea: these are the things I think of when I think of summer’s bounty. Next to cilantro, basil is my favorite herb. I remember the first time I grew basil. The internet was not really a thing back then, and I couldn’t casually look up the ins and outs of growing and harvesting basil. All I knew was that I wanted this herb to give and give and give some more. I wanted cupfuls of it. I wanted tomato basil soup, basil pesto, and fresh sprigs of basil cut into my summer salads.
So, I planted my humble basil plant in a small container, stuck it outside on my front porch, and watered it often to keep its soil moist. And I watched it grow. Taller and taller it climbed. After it had 5 or 6 sets of leaves, I thought it looked funny — like a skinny, gangly old man reaching for the sun. You see, I didn’t know anything at all about growing and harvesting basil. I thought it couldn’t be that hard, though. Surely I’d figure it out. Everyone said basil was such a resilient plant. If only I had known then what I know now about harvesting basil, I could have had a much more productive plant.
Turns out, I did everything wrong.
As it first started growing, I was afraid to prune it or trim it in any way. I wanted it to “get established.” I had an image in my mind of what that would look like — a healthy, bountiful little basil bush. But it never turned into a bush. It grew taller and taller, like a spindle piercing the sky. Finally, it had enough leaves that I thought sacrificing some to make a tomato soup wouldn’t harm the plant. So, I set about harvesting basil.
Figuring that the top was where all the growth was happening, I decided to cut from the bottom, from the leaves that would soon be turning yellow. I removed the bottom couple of sets of leaves and frowned. It looked even more awkward and tall. Where was my bush? I had done something wrong.
Perhaps it needed more time. Another few weeks went by, and my skinny, gangly, old man basil sprouted flowers. And then it got even more skinny and gangly, growing taller and taller until the weight of this single stalk started collapsing in the wind like a tall grass. And then it died.
The next year, I learned from my mistakes. And now, you can learn from mine. Turns out, harvesting basil is the key to creating that healthy, bountiful little basil bush. So, consider this your how-to.
Harvesting Basil 101
The key lesson here? Don’t be afraid to cut! When your basil plant has 3 to 5 sets of leaves, cut the top off just above the second set of leaves from the ground. The single stalk will now end here, and two new branches will now bud and grow from the set of leaves you left behind. Every couple of weeks, repeat the process, cutting just above the first or second set of leaves on your newest branches. Before long, you’ll have a healthy bush. Harvesting basil this way, you’ll probably be able to get 20 cups of basil from each plant per season!
If the plant should ever sneak some flowers in on you, you’ve reached a fork in the road. You can either prune all the flower buds off before they bloom and keep harvesting basil, or you can let the flowers bloom and watch the plant end its life in a beautiful display of fertility. Your choice. Basil plants are annuals — meaning they only grow one season and then die.
Now that you know that aggressive pruning is the way to go, is there anything you can do to make sure you get the most flavorful, robust basil? YES!
The night before you plan on harvesting basil, give the plant a good soak. The following day, do your cutting in the morning before the day gets too hot and dry. The essential oils are at their strongest then.
What should you do with all your harvested basil?
What if you end up harvesting too much to use immediately? What then? Well, you could always simply dry it, but I find that makes the basil flavor lose a lot of its complexity. I prefer to freeze my basil. There are two ways to do this.
In the first method, you simply place your harvested basil leaves in a zipper freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to a year like this. This is the perfect method for keeping basil leaves for use as an ingredient.
In the second method, you begin by stuffing your basil into a food processor and adding olive oil to cover it. Pulse it a few quick times until blended, then pour into ice cube trays and freeze. When you need basil for pesto or dressings, just whip out the number of cubes you need. It couldn’t be any easier!
You can also use your harvested basil as a cutting to grow a new basil plant. Simply store the cut basil in water, leaving the leaves exposed to air and the stem in the water. Keep it on your counter in moderate sun. Before long, you’ll have new roots growing from your stem. At that point, you can transfer your rooted cutting to soil and treat it like a new little plant.
Already growing your own herbs? Eager to find recipes for easy and delicious homemade spice blends and mixes?
I’ve created a downloadable, print-friendly collection of the 10 homemade spice blends I use most frequently in our home — including MSG-free versions of Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix, French Onion Soup Mix, and Curry Powder.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 10 HOMEMADE SPICE BLENDS
(photos by cinnachick (above) and kathrynlinge (below) )
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I love your statement “next to cilantro, basil is my favorite…” because cilantro is so delish!
@Lynn — I know! It’s so versatile, too. I use it in everything from salsa to Thai food.
Thank you for explaining a mystery that has puzzled me for years!
Glad you posted this. This is my first year growing my own. 🙂
Great post! My basil is going insane this year with my aggressive pruning. About every two days, I have to harvest, Right now, I am making basil ice cubes for use in the winter, but soon it’ll be pesto cubes, too!
Awesome and very timely information!!! I need to harvest some of my basil. 🙂
Do these same methodologies apply to most of the other similar herbs, such as Stevia, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage?
Teresa — This advice applies to any “bush” herb like thyme or sage. Not so much to parsley.
Thanks Kristen! 🙂
Thank you. I’ve been making the same mistake you did, just cutting off a couple leaves here and there as I needed them. I didn’t know I was supposed to cut off the whole stalk!
I like to eat it straight from the bunch while walking around the farmer’s market. People look at me funny but I have the last laugh because cilantro is so so good for you.
Thanks for this post! I have basil seeds waiting to be planted. Now I feel confident getting them in a pot!! Herbs are totally new territory for me and by the looks of my poor garden, I should be discouraged from furthering any green thumb efforts, but alas, you give me hope!
This is my first year growing it & I did it all wrong, lol.
So… how many stems should I leave uncut or should I cut them all? I’ve been wondering how get my basil going! Thank you!
What’s the #1 lesson? Don’t be afraid to cut! Cut them all, just make sure you’re leaving at least one or two sets of leaves on each stem.
Can u eat the flowers on basil or throw them away?
Thanks so much for this post! I have just planted some basil, and they were getting long and starting to have flowers, so I cut off the top 4 inches! I didn’t know that I was going exactly what I should be doing!!!
Thanks!!!
This is GREAT! Just what I needed. I was given a pretty hefty little starter of Thai basil, and would not have known that I’m past due to harvest it for the first time! I assume Thai basil and regular basil should be harvested similarly? Hope so, cause I’m about to go a-chopping. 🙂
Thanks! This is my first year growing basil, and I’m going to pick the tops tonight. 🙂
Yay! Super helpful – thank you. Of course, this year I can’t seem to get my basil to sprout, so we’ll have to get that figured out first…
So THAT’s what I’m doing wrong…..
SUCH good information! Thanks for all the tips. Basil (and cilantro! and mint. and thyme. OK-I love them all!) is one of my favorite summer herbs.
What about the seeds? How do you harvest the seeds? Every year my basil dies during the first freeze. I’d like to get some seeds out of the thing before it dies so I don’t have to keep buying new seeds.
Alice, just stop pruning back one of your plants at some point and let it go to seed, then save the dried up seed heads for the following year. Or you can remove the seeds from the seed heads to save. Good luck!
Thanks for this! I’ve yet to keep my basil alive for long…
Great info! Thanks!
I’m so glad I found this post! I literally went out just now and cut back all my basil. Thank you for all the great info! Any ideas on how to keep the snails from eating all the basil before we do?
I love this post because I HAVE been doing it all wrong! I have about seven stalks, and one has flowers at the top. Here I thought it was so pretty…darn. Now I know!
We are growing 4 plants. All in pots. Heirloom tomato, cherry tomato, kale and Basil. Our basil was awesome last year 🙂
I put basil in everything during growing season, I love it. I make sun tea infused with basil, it is so refreshingly different. Good post, the more you snip, the more you get!
That’s so funny – I had to learn the hard way too – I had three or four basil stalks that were nearing three feet straight up. I was waiting for golden eggs to fall from the sky but no luck, guess that only works for magic been stalks. 🙂
Is this pruning trick for just sweet basil to make it bush? I have the “old man” problem with my sweet basil because I did it wrong, but my spicy globe basil is a nice little bush and I did nothing different. Is this normal for that type?
Yay! You just saved my basil from sudden disaster lol.
So glad I found this! My poor basil is growing straight up and is sturdy as can be. I suppose that’s a good thing, but between wanting to cook with it, and wanting it to branch out, I was afraid to do anything to it!
I am soooooooo glad I clicked on your site. This is my first time for growing herbs. the basil was differently ready to be harvested. Can you tell me how to harvest lemon thyme and ways to use it. I bought it because of the aroma. Thanks
Hi, I’m assisting my grandson on a science lab/research essay and found your site. You are a good writer and have a great “voice.” I was inspired enough to favorite it for ref. when we are transplanting the seedlings in the garden and future harvesting. 🙂 Thanks! My grandson is a hammock fan also. He just daydreams.
Thanks for this tip about harvesting! I have a hydroponic garden, and this os definitely going to help me supply my restaurant with an abundance of fresh Basil!!!
I never actually read up on how to grow basil and I actually came here for the harvesting bit, but I will use this information next year! Somehow my nail plant had become absolutely huge without pruning.
Thanks for the post. I planted my basil in spring and it’s already have three blooming cycles. It’s roughly 4 1/2 feet tall right now and I have it propped up against a trellis for support. I had no idea you’re supposed to prune so often. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the boost of confidence in my gardening talents. My gangly old man is young and generous again and the leaves are heaps more flavoursome than before. B-)
I would like to add that basil loves a lot of fertilizer.
Thank you!! I experienced that same issue last year with my first basil plant!! This year will be better!!
Haha, I started laughing when reading this post where you were explaining all the “wrong” things you were doing to your poor Basil. Why was I laughing? I was doing exactly that. Thanks for sharing!! I just chopped “Henry” about in half and stored my basil in the freezer as he was quite big and had a lot of fluffy leaves to harvest.
They’re easy mistakes to make, Spatz Lawler.
I lovelovelove basil too! I have some fledgling volunteers from last year’s purple basil plant that went to seed. (Its a little spicier than green sweet basil, but otherwise identical) I can’t wait to start harvesting! To vouch for your growing/harvesting recomendations, I have over 2 quarts of dried, crushed basil and a few gallon bags of frozen from just THREE plants last year. And I gave loads away for Christmas present 😀
Kristen,
Thanks for the post. I’ve been doing what you recommend and it is certainly helping my basil grow.
The question I have is, what do I do with the bottom or lower leaves that are now getting really large. I am very tempted to pick them, but I am worried as this goes against the advice of only picking above the other leaves. If I don’t pick them, however, it seems like my basil is too bushy and crowded.
I’d be grateful for your (or anyone’s) insights about this.
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So helpful! I am going to go out and do some work in the garden now!
THANK YOU!! I’ve been failing at basil for a couple seasons. Perhaps I was too lazy to do research, distracted by the allure of tomatoes and oregano. Thanks for dropping the answers in my lazy Facebook lap B-)
You’re welcome, Jah-nē!
Basil, rosemary and cilantro!!! Food Renegade
Thank you. I’ve got the basil down but am failing at cilantro. Help?!!!
Cassandra Lewie-Burns
This is super helpful! I am failing with my cilantro, too. Small black bugs are getting it!
The leaves are forming on mine, but they are not getting big – small leaves. I’ll try cutting it.
Deer eat my basil.
Your tip quadrupled the size of my container. I use the cuttings first and will use the new stems next.
Thank you for this helpful information. I had been having similar problems with my basil. Now they are properly trimmed and I am looking forward to watching them grow ‘out’ rather than ‘up’.
Great tips!
Well, the groundhog is enjoying it. Luckily so far he hasn’t touched to thai basil, chard, cilantro, or cucumbers. Regular basil got in late so just pinched the tops yesterday for the first time.
So if you snip off the flower buds, will the basil keep going indefinitely or are u just extending it’s life a little bit?
Julie Serpette – in case you want to start growing your own.
Sandra Rogers
It’s also important to consult the Farmer’s Almanac for the best day of the month to plant seeds or transplant into the ground. Where the moon is in her cycle really makes a difference in how well the plant does:-)
Thanks so much for this! Exactly the information I was looking for =)
Hi. Would this apply to Thai basil as well?
Thank you so much for this, it’s exactly the info I was looking for to rescue my spindly basil plants! I knew I was doing something wrong!
Thanks for the lesson on basil harvesting my first time very informative thanks again mark have a nice day
Thank you baby. I’m going to get started cutting my plants right away :}
Thank you for writing about harvesting basil. I made exactly the same mistakes last year Going to try again this spring and hopefully will be successful.
Please keep posting helpful tips for us beginner gardeners.
THANK YOU!! i also have been nervous to harvest right away, but i have some beastly leaves, so i thought i’d do some research. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
also, i never thought to add it to tea. great tip!
Dear Renegade
I can relate to you because I’m a renegade in many of my passions especially good healthy food, I love Basil as I use it alot in my Italian dishes and my pizzas I prepare own dough and prepare my own tomato base toppings including pesto with sundried tomato and feta
cheese.
My basil bush is very healthy I always nip the flowers
as they sppear but would love to know what I can use
it for beside garnish
Thank you for all the literature on your journey and experience with the Basil herb I will definitely use it.
Regards
Charmaine Van Spronsen
I treat my Badil bush with Seagro Organic plant food every 4weeks it definitely improved the growth the leaves are healthier, bigger and a beautiful dark green colour.
Thank you! I love your how clear you were with the information and your description! Have you ever written a similar piece about harvesting cilantro? I would love to read it if so!
I thought your information about growing & harvesting basil was very informative. Thank you for that
THANKYOU…
I’m growing it “wrong” too. Anyone know if I cut back my huge stalk to around 4”…will this kill my plant (can’t fix) or will it re-focus it’s energy and keep growing as a bush? Thanks.