When your basil has grown nice and tall, we recommend that you start making clones of your basil plant to allow more immature basil plants to start to develop as you continue to harvest the current adult plant for usage. In general, basil doesn’t need fertilizer if you’ve planted it into well-composted soil. This helps leaves to keep their full flavor. Here's some quick tips to ensure you enjoy the largest yield from your basil plants. When harvesting more copious amounts of basil, harvest from the top of the plant downward. This should be done right before the day heats up, but after the dew dries off the plant. And the best part is the more you harvest, the more a basil plant will produce. Don’t worry when you see how much of the plant you’ve cut off. Once you notice the roots growing out through the drainage holes is a good indicator your plant needs a larger pot. Cut back the basil to the second or third leaf set from the bottom each time the plant grows 6 to 8 inches tall so you can extend your harvest of basil leaves. Picking leaves regularly encourages more growth. And it took absolutely no fussing on my part whatsoever! Harvest the leaves individually rather than chopping the plant with scissors, as this will enable new leaves to grow. 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. Basil plants are annuals. It turns out that the easiest way to grow basil is to allow it to grow from seed in the same environment that it will be in throughout the season. Harvest the leaves by pinching them off of the stem, and always harvest from the top of the plant. Sow basil seed successionally from spring to summer so you have a continuous crop. Harvest Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. If it isn’t producing large leaves, you can add a balanced fertilizer every 4-6 weeks. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds. Black seeds are ready to be picked while green seeds are still ripening. After the first cut is made, more growth will begin to develop but do not harvest this second growth as the new growth increases the plant’s hardiness over the winter months. How to grow basil. Basil is a warm-weather, fragrant herb that tastes great in many dishes—including the beloved homemade pesto! Here's an example of one that isn't ready. It’s normal to cut one-third of the plant down as you harvest. Well, this is the best thing about a basil plant. Later, simply clip the stems at the first or second branch intersection below the tips of the branches. Pot on into individual pots when plants are big enough to handle. Step 1 Cut your holy basil with a sharp knife just above the bottom two or three sets of true leaves. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds. Keep harvesting the leaves to keep the plant … Morning is the best time of day, but don’t hesitate to pick basil whenever you need it. Leave about 1/3 of the plant with each harvest. Here’s what you’ll need: Plastic or paper bag (a used grocery bag works great) White paper towels or a white plate; Envelope or baggie for seeds; Sharpie; How to Harvest Basil Seeds Step 1: Wait until the basil flowers are completely brown and crunchy. If you are only cutting back by a third, you will need to wait a few weeks before you can harvest your plant again. Plant basil outside after all danger of frost has passed, choosing a sunny, sheltered spot with well-drained soil or grow plants in containers. There are two basic ways to harvest basil: If you just want a few leaves to use then it is fine to pinch what you need off from the top of the plant. Harvesting basil can begin when the plant has produced at least six leaves to prevent legginess. That gives the basil plant time to regrow. This is among vital steps on how to harvest sweet basil to make sure the herb continuous to have productive leafing. This will allow more leaves to grow. If you prune a basil plant correctly, then you’ll see an increase in yield each time you harvest for the first three harvests (around weeks 5, 8, and 11). Alex typically cares for the basil in our raised bed gardens, which makes me sometimes feel like I’m not sure quite the right way to prune our basil plant. If you’re only growing one type of basil, or if your different cultivars are separated by at least 150 feet (basil is insect-pollinated), let at least a few branches of your best plants go completely to seed. Weeding. Harvesting Basil. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Basil leaves can begin to be harvested once the plant is is 6 to 8 inches tall, typically 60 to 90 days after planting the seeds. The more harvests done, the better it is for the growth of the sweet basil herb. Fertilizing. Here’s everything about how to harvest basil! Regular harvesting will keep plants full and round. Harvest your basil plant from top to bottom. Take up to a 3rd of the plant by harvesting 2 to 3 nodes down the plant or down each stem of the plant when harvesting for a recipe such as pesto. There are so many varieties of basil – don’t just limit yourself to the kind you’d typically find in your grocery aisle! You will see the mucilage form almost immediately. As the basil grows, you will need to transplant one additional time to allow the plant to reach its full potential. 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