5-Top Tips for Harvesting Herbs

Growing our own herbs at home is always a good idea to get fresh and most flavourful herbs that could make our everyday dishes from good to great. When harvesting herbs is really dependent on the type you are growing and the plant part you intend to use. For example, when harvesting mint, you’ll just be picking the leaves. In other cases, you may be picking the flowers, seeds or roots.

Herbs can be enjoyed fresh throughout the growing season or dried, and they add a ton of flavor to your dishes.  Unlike many vegetables, herbs will produce throughout the entire season. Even if the weather becomes too cold or too hot, herbs can grow indoors as well.

Here are 5-top tips for harvesting any herbs.

• Herbs should be harvested early in the morning when the morning dew has evaporated but before the sun heats up. Herbs picked in the morning are more aromatic and flavourful.
• Use the cut and come again’ method to get harvest all season long. Simply cut above the first lower two sets of mature leaves, just above a leaf node (the point from where the leaves emerge) which will encourage bushier growth and can stimulate new leaves production. Cut only ⅔ part of the plant and leave ⅓ of the foliage to regrow for the next harvest.
• Be gentle while harvesting herbs to avoid bruising your priceless harvest.
• Harvest the plants regularly. If you do not do this, they will start flowering which changes their flavor and also stop producing those tasty leaves.
• If your herbs start producing flower buds, just pinch off any buds before they bloom.

Let us know if you’ve any other tips, we’d love to hear them! Happy harvesting!!