How to Prune and Harvest Basil for More Productive Plants (With Photos)

The secret to growing big bushy basil is to regularly trim and use it, so don’t be shy! Come learn how to prune and harvest basil like a pro – to encourage larger, more productive plants so you can enjoy homegrown basil all summer long.

This simple guide provides tips and photos of pruning basil at all stages, including topping seedlings, pinching flowers, and harvesting mature basil to eat. I’ll also share the best way to store basil after harvest to keep it fresh, and our favorite ways to preserve the excess.

RELATED: Don’t miss our complete guide on growing basil. It covers the best basil varieties, how to start from seed or seedlings, spacing and thinning tips, soil preferences, growing in pots, watering, and more.

Topping (Pruning) Basil Seedlings

Start pruning basil when it’s still small! By topping or pinching young basil seedlings, it encourages it to branch and become stout and bushy right from the start – rather than growing tall, skinny, and floppy.

To prune basil seedlings, wait until they’re at least 6 inches tall and have several sets of leaves. Then, pinch or trim the center stem just above a set of leaf nodes or side shoots to remove the top set or two or leaves. (See photos below.) New side branches will quickly grow from the leaf nodes.

You can eat the trimmings, or if they’re long enough, root the stems in water to grow even more free basil plants! Learn how to propagate basil from cuttings here.

When to Harvest Basil

Harvest basil in the morning when the plants are most fresh and perky.

Basil is not intended to be grown to a full size and then harvested in its entirety. Instead, start young and continue to regularly harvest from basil plants (e.g. weekly or every few weeks) as needed throughout the growing season. By routinely trimming off bits to use and enjoy, it encourages fresh new growth – much like deadheading flowers.

The size and age of your basil plants (and the amount you prune each time) will dictate just how often and how much to harvest.

For instance, you can pick just a stem or two every few days to use fresh. On the other hand, we usually wait until our plants are nice and bushy and then harvest nearly half the plant at once (especially if we’re making a big batch of pesto or freezing basil cubes) – but then wait for several weeks of new growth to harvest again.

How to Harvest Basil

When harvesting basil, it’s best to trim the stems – NOT pluck off individual leaves. Why? Picking leaf-by-leaf is tedious, makes the stems look funky and bare, and doesn’t promote healthy new growth and side shoots like pruning stems does.

• To harvest basil, cut stems just above a leaf node as shown in the photos below.
  
  
• Feel free to cut several inches off the top (at lower nodes) – not just the tip! When I harvest basil, I usually trim a little from various areas at different heights to encourage branching all over.
  
  
• The length of your stems will depend on the size and age of your basil plant, but always be sure to leave at least half of the plant behind, with a few sets of leaves per stem left to photosynthesize and help it regrow.
  
  
• As the basil grows new side shoots, continue to harvest in the same manner from the branches.
  
  
• However, avoid cutting too deeply on the main center woody stalk from an established basil plant, as that part may not bounce back.

Pinching Basil Flowers

Basil will naturally begin to flower as it ages and transitions its energy into producing seed rather than growing new leaves. Basil may also start to flower early in response to stress, such as extreme heat, drought, or other unfavorable conditions. Once it starts to flower, the leaves will start to get increasingly tough and bitter.

To delay flowering and encourage more fresh leaves to grow, it’s best to pinch off basil flowers soon after they form – especially early in the growing season. Paired with routine pruning and harvesting, your basil plant will continue to produce new tender leaves. Yet as the season goes on, we generally let our basil flower for the bees to enjoy.

How to Store Basil After Harvest

We’ve found the best way to store basil is to place freshly cut stems in a bowl or jar of water immediately after harvest, just like flowers in a vase! (Don’t soak the leaves in water however.) Then, simply keep it out on the counter at room temperature.

Basil should stay fresh and perky for over a week when stored this way. Change the water every few days as needed.

Ways to Preserve Basil

If you have more than you can use fresh, please enjoy our favorite ways to preserve basil:

• Make our popular lemon walnut Besto Pesto recipe to freeze.
• Dehydrate basil leaves for easy dry storage.
• Make frozen basil cubes with olive oil, which are perfect to use for everyday cooking!

Well, I hope you feel ready and confident to go harvest some basil now. If you found this post to be helpful, please let us know by leaving a comment below! Feel free to ask any questions you may have too. We greatly appreciate you tuning in today!

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