Considerations In Harvesting Basil
Harvesting herbs is a little different than harvesting many vegetables, where once the harvesting is done, the plant will either stop producing for the year, or is ready to be pulled up and placed in the compost heap. With many herbs, and basil is certainly one of them, harvesting is an ongoing process. Basil can be harvested for the seeds, for the leaves, or both. We'll primarily discuss harvesting of the leaves in this article.
In a sense harvesting basil is not much different from pruning basil, and you want to prune the plant to keep it producing throughout the growing season. Unless you're planning on harvesting the seeds, you'll continuously prune back the plant to keep seeds from forming, and keep new leaf growth appearing.
When To Start - There is some controversy as to when to start pruning a new basil plant. Some say this can be done just prior to transplanting, while others indicate it's best to wait until more growth has been attained. Most tend to agree that the plant can be pruned, and the leaves harvested, once several sets of leaves have been produced. Pruning the plant keeps it healthy, robust, and productive. As you are harvesting basil, you're actually help the plant produce more and more for you. Not all plants are like that.
Whack, Don't Snip - While pruning and harvesting basil can consist of simply snipping off some leaves and growth here and there, most recommend periodically cutting the plant back, whacking it off if you will, by at least a third, every few weeks. In doing so you'll get a nice crop of fresh leaves, which will come back with a vengeance. When you only snip off the ends of the branches, the plant will quickly form new buds. The new buds will in turn attempt to produce flowers. This is not what you want to be happening if harvesting leaves is your goal. Harvesting a couple of dozen cups of leaves from a single plant over the summer isn't unheard of. Keep your basil plant healthy and you can rest assured it will reward you. If you want some seeds, let the plant go to seed towards the end of the growing season.
When Best To Harvest - It's best to harvest the leaves in the morning, especially if you plan on using the leaves while they are still fresh. In this way, the oils in the leaves, so essential in cooking and flavoring, are preserved and at their strongest. If you're planning to store the leaves for later use, much later use, then it's recommend you harvest the leaves in the evening. The thinking goes that basil leaves harvested in the evening have a longer shelf life. Whichever time of day you select is really up to you and may not make a lot of difference, no matter how you intend to use the leaves. Harvesting in mid afternoon under a hot sun is definitely out though. This holds true for most vegetables and herbs, if for no other reason than it places unnecessary stress on the plant.
One of the nicer things about growing basil is that there are many varieties to choose among, and you can try different ones if you are so inclined. Basil, a low growing plant, can be planted in an herb garden, in a planter box or patio container, in a hanging basket, and even indoors on a window sill. Basil is generally an easy keeper; one just has to keep it pruned in order to take full advantage of what this wonderful herb has to offer.
If the information provided here seems a bit of an overkill, it’s just that although harvesting basil is certainly not a complicated process, pruning and harvesting the herb, when done correctly, yields the very best results.