How to Harvest Herbs so That the Leaves Keep on Coming

I put herbs on step two of my steps to learn how to garden for good reason: they require very little tending or gardening skills to thrive. As long as you're growing them in the right kind of setup, herbs are the most generous plants in the garden. You can cut from them again and again, and they'll just keep giving you more delicious leaves.

The main tending task for your herbs is harvesting them regularly. That's right. It really is as good as it sounds. Picking leaves to toss on tonight's dinner or tomorrow's omelet actually helps prevent pests, deters disease, and even encourages more leaf production. 

The best method to use for harvesting your herbs depends on which type of herb you're growing. Don't worry—there are just two categories to keep it nice and easy.

Annual herbs, also called "soft herbs", are planted from seed every year. This includes cilantro, dill, parsley, and basil.

Perennial herbs, aka "woody herbs", either keep growing year round in moderate climates or die and grow back from their roots in colder places. Perennials include herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, mint, and thyme.

No matter which type of herb you're growing, you'll want to first keep the three rules of herb harvesting in mind.

The 3 Rules of Harvesting Herbs

Follow these three rules when harvesting from your herb garden to guarantee many more leaf harvests in your future.

Rule #1: Use a Clean Pair of Pruners or Scissors

Use needle nose pruners, a sharp pair of scissors, or some garden snips to cut your herbs. Whatever you're using, clean it with a little bit of rubbing alcohol before you head out to harvest. That way, you don't risk transferring something gross like disease or fungus to your beautiful herb plants.

Rule #2: Harvest When the Leaves Are Dry

Make sure that your herbs aren’t wet when you come out to cut them. If you’ve had some rain or if your sprinkler has sprayed your plants, wait until the leaves have completely dried. Harvesting (or pruning) wet plants increases the likelihood of mold or mildew on your herbs. It also shortens the storage time of your leaves.

In general, the best time to harvest your herbs is early in the day, as soon as the sun has burned off the morning dew. This is when your herbs will have the most flavor and preserve easier.

Rule #3: Keep the Golden Rule in Mind

The Golden Rule of Harvesting is to take no more than a third of any one herb within a given week. This ensures your plants can keep photosynthesizing and making food. If you give each plant time to bounce back, you get to return for more harvests in the future.

When to Harvest Annual Herbs

Soft herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill take about 45 to 60 days to grow from seed in the garden. Their soft leaves and stems need this time to grow before they’re worth harvesting. Look for at least 5 to 10 main stems on your plant before your first cut. Cilantro and dill will only last about 90 to 120 days in the garden, while parsley could potentially last two years (it's technically a biennial).

You can begin harvesting basil as soon as your plant has produced a couple sets of leaves.

Annual herbs will start to bolt when the temperatures are no longer optimal for growth. That's why it’s critical with these herbs to both harvest often and also keep planting in order to have leaves ready to pick for as much of the year as possible. 

Expect to harvest at least one to three stems from each annual plant a week during their optimal growing time. Remember, the more that you cut from your herbs, the more they’ll produce.

How to Harvest Annual Herbs

Harvesting soft herbs is very similar to harvesting lettuces and other cut-and-come-again leafy greens. If you notice your annual herbs are sending up tall center stalks, they're likely bolting, or going to seed, due to a change in the temperature. Cut off the stems that are growing too tall so that you can enjoy leaf harvests just a little bit longer.

How to Harvest Cilantro, Dill, & Parsley

For these annual herbs, you'll cut from the outside of the plant. Cut all the way down at the base of the stem instead of just cutting the leaves (those stems won't regrow from the tips). Leave the smallest leaves at the center to keep growing.

The stems of these three herbs should be put in a jar of water immediately to keep them from wilting. You can keep them in the fridge like this for a couple of days.

How to Harvest Basil

You'll harvest your basil a little differently. You want your basil to grow more like a bush instead of sending up a lot of tall spikes that are inclined to start flowering. So instead of cutting from the sides, you'll focus more on the top of the plant. Cut right above a leaf node (where leaves are directly opposite from each other) to encourage stems to branch out.

Keep your basil harvest at room temperature. Treat your basil like you would fresh-cut flowers. Put the sprigs in some water and leave them out on your countertop to enjoy.

How to Enjoy Your Annual Herbs

Annual herbs are often best when enjoyed as fresh as possible. They tend to lose their flavor pretty quickly.

How to Enjoy Cilantro, Dill & Parsley

I put cilantro on everything, but it's especially great to toss in tacos and salads.

Dill adds a zesty, slightly citrusy punch to your meals. It's particularly great in dips, potato salad, or dill pesto.

I like to use parsley in salads, tabbouleh, and chimichurri, and as a garnish for soups, stews, and cooked fish. Next time a recipe calls for a lot of salt, try replacing a dash with parsley and see if your taste buds can tell the difference.

These herbs don't dry very well. The best way to preserve them is to blend them with some oil and freeze them in an ice cube mold to use later. You could also freeze these herbs whole.

How to Enjoy Basil

You could have a caprese salad, toss your leaves on some pizza, or make your own pesto with your fresh basil leaves. If you've just harvested some oregano alongside your basil, try this easy herb garden flatbread, a family favorite.

Basil doesn't dry as well as its cousins in the mint family, but it does dry better than the other annual herbs. Dried basil can add a little taste of summer to your dishes throughout the winter months.

Basil leaves frozen on their own don't do well, but you can freeze chopped basil leaves in oil.

When to Harvest Perennial Herbs

Your time to harvest depends on how you sourced your herbs. If you start woody herbs from seed, you'll need to wait at least 30 to 45 days before you take your first leaf harvest. If you bring home plants from the nursery, you can start cutting your first sprigs immediately—just take it easy at first. Wait a month or two before you begin cutting more leaves. If you've propagated herbs from cuttings, allow four to six weeks before the rooted plant has grown enough to be ready to harvest. 

Some herbs, like mint, grow prolifically, while others, like sage, are a little slower to grow. Once they're established, you can—and should—harvest from your perennial herbs weekly, if not almost daily. This encourages the plants to grow more leaves, and you get a continuous supply of fresh herbs in the kitchen until winter.

I usually try to cut 3 to 4 stems a week from my perennial herbs, especially during the height of the summer. Again, the more that you cut from your herbs, the more they’ll produce.

How to Harvest Perennial Herbs

Perennial herbs like sage, rosemary, mint, thyme, and oregano are best harvested by starting from the outmost branches and working your way in, once the plants are about 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

To encourage your perennial herbs to branch out more, harvest just above a leaf node (this is called pinching back). The plants will now form two branches from just one stem. Rosemary has so many leaf nodes, you really can't go wrong where you cut. This is the best way to harvest if there's still time for your herbs to keep growing in the current season.

For herbs that spread wide like mint, thyme, and oregano, you can also reach underneath and cut long stems all the way to the base of the plant to thin them out a little. This is how you can train your plants to grow more vine-like instead of bush, and it's also the best way to remove older stems that have become a little too woody.

Both methods work, but the key is to harvest as often as possible from your herbs during their active growing season. (During the winter months, you can continue harvesting from your perennial herbs until they die back as long as you take only a modest amount.) When you harvest, take double what you need: use half of your harvest fresh and save the rest for times when your herbs aren't producing. This is how you cut enough to create your own year-round supply of herbs at home.

How to Enjoy Perennial Herbs

You can enjoy the leaves of your perennial herbs fresh or dry them for later use. Drying perennial herbs is an easy way to ensure you have a year-round supply of your favorites.

To dry herbs, strip the bottom leaves from each stem and tie a small bunch together with twine or wire. Hang each bunch upside down somewhere dry and away from direct sunlight. Wait until the leaves are brittle before you strip them from the stems and put them in a glass jar. Now you have dried herbs to last all winter long.

Sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. Just wrap them in a paper towel and place them inside a baggie or glass container. Treat fresh mint stems the same as basil by avoiding the fridge. Put them in some water and leave them out on your countertop.

How to Enjoy Sage

Since sage has such lovely, big leaves, you can use your fingers to pinch off individual leaves as needed or harvest entire sprigs. Tossing sage into browned butter is a game changer for pasta. I also love sage with butternut squash, and it pairs well with chicken and pork.

How to Enjoy Rosemary

Dried rosemary is one of my favorite things to have in my spice cabinet to elevate meals. I use it in soups, stews, and roasted dishes, especially anything with chicken.

How to Enjoy Mint

Fresh mint is so tasty in Mediterranean-style dishes like couscous with feta and roasted tomatoes.

Dried mint is a real culinary treat. Dried peppermint or spearmint is perfect for making mint tea.

How to Enjoy Thyme

Fresh or dried thyme is fantastic when tossed on roasted vegetables. You can use thyme to season meats, soups, and so much more.

How to Enjoy Oregano

Fresh oregano is so good in homemade pizzas, spaghetti sauce, and tacos.

Dried oregano is great to add to salt blends or an all-spice seasoning you can create with other dried herbs from your garden.

How to Harvest Chives

Chives—one of my favorite herbs—grows prolifically and brings so much flavor to your meals. It's harvested completely different from the other herbs, so it deserves its own section.

You can begin harvesting from your chives about 60 days after planting from seed. Give transplants several weeks to adjust before harvesting from them. Cut from established chives plants at least monthly.

To harvest chives, gather several stems at once like you're gathering hair for a ponytail and then use a clean pair of scissors or snips to cut the plants pretty low, just 1 to 2 inches above the soil. New growth will spring from the center of the plant, not the tips. Chives plants are just like the others in that a good cutting back keeps them healthy and productive.

Toss chives on anything that could use a more garlicky or oniony flavor, like omelettes, roasted veggies, and cooked meats.

Time to Harvest Some Herbs!

I hope you find so much success harvesting your favorite herbs this way that you won't have to buy those little plastic containers of leaves from the grocery store again!

If you make a point to cut your herbs back regularly and save half of your harvest for winter, you really will end up with a year-round supply of herbs. You'll probably even have enough to share with neighbors and friends. There's no better gift to give than herbs you grew yourself!

Thanks for being here and making gardening ordinary, one herb harvest at a time!