Are you growing fresh basil at home but not sure how to harvest it? You’re not alone. Harvesting or trimming a basil plant can be tricky, because it seems backward. Removing leaves seems like it would hurt the plant, right? It’s exactly the opposite: removing the leaves helps to encourage the plant to start branching, making it into a large, bushy plant! 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 plant. So, we decided it was high time to get some of these thoughts on basil care down on paper. Here’s everything about how to harvest basil!
How to grow basil
And that’s it: how to harvest basil! It’s perfect for adding a fresh flair to any dish (see below). Have questions about the best way to grow basil or what we do? Here’s our post on How to Grow Basil. Did you know you can preserve basil by drying it? Go to How to Dry Basil.
Basil recipes
There are so many great things to cook with fresh basil! Its peppery flavor takes any dish to the next level. Here are a few of our favorite basil recipes:
Basil Walnut Pesto Basil Sauce Gin & Basil Cocktail Basil Aioli Best Basil Oil Homemade Margherita Pizza Grilled Cheese with Tomato & Basil Tomato Basil Soup with Ricotta Dumplings Italian Eggplant Sandwich Basil & Strawberry Popsicles Creamy Pasta Marinara Greek Orzo Salad Tomato Basil Gnocchi Soup Fruit Infused Water Peach & Burrata Salad
Questions on how to harvest basil?
Anything we haven’t covered regarding how harvest basil? Let us know in the comments below! Another great resource is the Farmer’s Almanac Guide on Basil.
