Basil is a delicious and versatile herb that’s great to keep on hand. It’s delicious on pizza, in pasta or salads or even as a garnish in cocktails.
This aromatic plant even keeps insects like aphids at bay. If you love your basil plant and want it to keep producing tasty fresh leaves for longer, then you need to make sure you are pruning it correctly. Pruning is essential to ensure your plant puts energy into creating new growth, so it’s recommended to snip your basil once it reaches around six or eight inches and has at least four sets of leaves.
If you only need a couple of leaves as a garnish, make sure you pinch these off where the stem meets the main branch according to experts. Lisa Hilgenberg, horticulturist in the Regenstein fruit and vegetable garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden spoke to Martha Stewart about the best ways to harvest basil.
She said that for bigger harvests, use sharp clean scissors and cut the stem off above a leaf node. Leaf nodes are the small bumps where new leaves grow. This will encourage healthier, bushier growth for longer.
With basil, there is one thing you need to watch out for and that is flowers. Sally McCabe, associate director of community education for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society said that basil will begin to taste bitter if allowed to flower, so it’s important if you’re planning on eating it that you pinch off flower buds as soon as you see them.
This allows the basil to focus on leaf growth rather than dedicating energy to flowers.
For the best tasting basil, you’ll want to harvest it in the early morning on a day when your plant has not been watered in a few days. This will make the oils more concentrated and the scent and taste will be stronger.
When it comes to when to water your basil, it’s all about testing the soil. Angela Judd, master gardener, told the publication that basil can wilt if over or underwatered, so your best bet is to stick your finger about 3cm into the soil and feel for moisture. If it’s dry, make sure you give your basil a good deep watering to allow the roots to grow deeper into the soil.
