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Maybe you blanched at the price of fresh herbs in the produce section this spring, or you were seduced by a bright pot of basil at your local nursery, and you thought, “Hey! This year, I will grow my own herbs!” Now you’ve got leggy basil plants blooming in a big pot, and you’re eyeing the dried herbs in your spice cabinet. It’s not too late! You can still get the most out of your herbs this summer!
(Editor's Note: This article was originally published on August 21, 2007.)
Basil and other herbs are wonderful additions to the garden even if you never use them in cooking.They add a variety of textures and scents, and their flowers will draw flocks of butterflies and bees.But regular pruning and pinching will give them a nicer shape and a fuller habit, and once you start nibbling and experimenting with what you’ve pinched, you’ll appreciate your herbs all the more!
Plants that are not pinched back will start blooming.Once herb plants produce flower buds, the flavor of the leaves gets bitter.If you’re growing Thai basil simply because you love the big heads of purple flowers, or if you’re growing 'Lime' basil for its wonderful aroma alone, then flowers are fine.But if you want to use your herbs in the kitchen, it’s important to keep them from flowering.
When you harvest your herbs, don’t be shy.Your goal is to prune back the stems, not just to pick off individual leaves.Herbs are very forgiving, and as long as you don’t pinch them right down to the ground, you really can’t pinch them too much or too often.Pinching herbs is not a delicate art!
Pruning herbs doesn’t require special tools.You can pinch herbs with your fingers, using your thumbnail and fingernail to cut through the stem.Pinching basil can put a startlingly dark stain on your fingertips.My nails are a lost cause during summer gardening anyway, but you might want to use scissors to snip the stems.
New leaf stems forming on Lime Basil.
Count up one or two pairs of leaves from a branch point...
and then pinch or snip away the stem above.
For basil, the idea is to leave one or two pairs of leaves per branch.If you look at the base of the leaves where they meet the stem, you will see tiny pairs of new leaves forming.When you pinch through the stem just above this point, each pair of leaves will soon turn into a new branch.When that new branch has two or three sets of new leaves, pinch it again.The plant will get bushier with each pinching, and you’ll get a larger harvest each time. By the end of the season, you could be picking enough basil for a batch of delicious pesto from just one or two plants.
It's time to pinch this Genovese Basil.
Soon there will be 4 stems to pinch
If your basil plants are leggy and blooming now, does that mean you’ve missed your chance at a tasty harvest?Not at all!Prune the plants back hard, so just one set of leaves remains above the major branch points.The plant will produce new growth, and the flavor of the leaves on the new branches will be perfect.There’s no need to harvest the leaves when they are tiny, either.Baby spinach leaves may be a delicacy, but larger basil leaves have wonderful flavor as long as the plant is not allowed to bloom. And letting the leaves get larger means you’ll have that much more fresh basil to enjoy.
Pinching to control flowering is also useful if you plan to save seeds. Basil often comes true for me from saved seeds regardless, but cross-pollination can happen if you’re growing more than one variety.You can isolate varieties by planting them on opposite sides of your garden. Or, you can isolate the blooms in time by letting only one variety of basil bloom and keeping the others pinched back.Basil seeds seem to take anywhere from four to eight weeks to mature on my plants.I often start letting a few plants bloom in mid-August to be sure of harvesting seeds before frost turns the plants to black mush.I might even allow just one or two branches to set seed and continue to pinch and harvest from other branches.I’ve heard that permitting any blooms can make the entire plant taste bitter, but to me any new growth tastes delicious no matter what the rest of the plant is doing.
Lime Basil will soon be full and bushy!
Basil is not the only herb that benefits from regular pinching.The same principles apply to other herbs in your garden, whether thyme or oregano, lavender or rosemary, pineapple sage or rose-scented geranium.Stems of thyme and oregano should be cut back by no more than half their length, and the woodier stems of rosemary and sage should be cut back by no more than one third.As with basil, you will see tiny new leaves forming next to the stem, waiting to form new branches when the plants are pinched back.The more you pinch, the more your herbs will grow!
Pinching and harvesting of perennial herbs should stop at least two weeks before you might expect cold weather.Newly cut stems and tiny new leaves are vulnerable to frost damage, and you want to give your herbs a chance to harden up a bit before winter.
So start pinching with abandon, and get the most out of your herbs this summer!
Nearly everything I know about herbs I learned from Tom DeBaggio, in particular from his little book, Growing Herbs from Seed, Cutting and Root: An Adventure in Small Miracles. See this Garden Bookworm entry.
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. My irises are bloomed out, but the daylilies are just getting started! Our front porch robins are busy fetching worms for their second crop of babies. I love summer!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on July 02, 2009 at 03:16 PM:
good one Jill
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 02, 2009 at 04:24 PM:
Thanks, Paul!
This was the first article I wrote for DG. :-)
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Subject: Question
Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on July 02, 2009 at 01:42 PM:
Great article! I love basil, and I always wondered how to pinch mine!
You say herbs turn bitter when they bloom....is that the case for other edibles too? My green onions are blooming. Should I proceed as recommended for basil here and cut off all the leaves to spur new growth? Thanks!
Roberta
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 02, 2009 at 04:23 PM:
I'm not sure if onions get bitter, but I'll bet they get tough when they bloom. I've never tried to see if they'll regrow when cut; I usually just pull them to use them and then seed some more.
If you cut & find they come again, please let us know!
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Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on July 03, 2009 at 06:47 PM:
Oh yes, they sure do! If you leave a few inches of leaf, the same leaf will keep growing!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 03, 2009 at 07:16 PM:
Well, cool!
Thanks.
:-)
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Subject: Brilliant!
Posted by NEILMUIR1 (from London, United Kingdom) on July 02, 2009 at 10:25 AM:
I totally agree with your article, herbs do also grow well in England!
However there seem to be a few missing from what I love to grow.
Chives are essential for you cannot make scrambled eggs or potato salad without them, they must never be allowed to seed, so I cut them about 1 inch above the soil, they soon come back!
Dill and Chervil are another along with Fennel, for you can't eat smoked Salmon without them.
Chervil is a hardy annual so it can be sown at monthly intervals and lasts over the winter, but cut back to use.
Sage, Rosemary, lavender and Thyme I cut back and put them in separate paper bags, tie them in some garden twine and hang them upside down in my shed, where the leaves fall off (with a shaking), into the paper bags, so we always have dried herbs for the winter.
The supermarkets charge an extortionate price for Bay leaves; the Romans brought them to Britain in the first Century A.D., and they flourish here, if you are lucky enough to know anyone who has an old one, as I do, they send up suckers and seed themselves!
Do not buy the topiary ones or the cultivars, for they are rubbish, dry them out the same way as mentioned before!
Basil and Coriander are easy to grow, with Coriander cropping in eight weeks here.
They do as you so rightly say need cutting back!
Also although not classified as a herb, try Nasturtiums, the leaves have a peppery flavour and the flowers look stunning in a salad!
Garlic is a must, I put mine in in November and it is ready on the longest day of the year, which is the summer solstice, June 21st.
Fresh lavender is also great to flavour homemade ice cream as are scented Geraniums.
Juniper berries are great and expensive, so although they only flower once every two years, they are easy to grow.
Mint is a lovely plant but has bad manners, in that it does like to spread itself everywhere, so grow it in pots, or sunken pots.
Lamb's mint was so rare you could not get it, now you can, it is not invasive, and the taste of it is sublime!
The simple reason the shops get away with selling you rubbish is; they put more than one plant in the pots, so they grow and die, grow your own, at least then you know where they come from!
Kind Regards.
From a Very Hot England.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 02, 2009 at 04:21 PM:
That's a great list of herbs and tips for culture & use!
Have you found the Herb Forum here yet? Head on over and check it out... I think you'd love it!
(and welcome to DG!)
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Posted by Petalpants (from Corpus Christi, TX) on July 04, 2009 at 12:11 AM:
Critter: Thanks for such an informative article--- good examples & pics. It may be an older article but I didn't know about DG back then, so I'd never read it before. =)
Neil: Wow, what a long list of herbs--- flavorings for all kinds of foods... When's dinner?! =P
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 04, 2009 at 12:13 AM:
I'm glad also that Dave & Terry decided to re-run "older" articles on occasion. The "fun random article" feature is also neat... every so often one pops up that I didn't catch the first time around, and I click to check it out!
Thanks for reading & commenting! :-)
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Posted by NEILMUIR1 (from London, United Kingdom) on July 04, 2009 at 05:26 AM:
Petalplants,
I always find most good cooks are also brilliant gardeners, they know about the colours, textures,shapes and more importantly they love and understand the flavour of fresh grown herbs!
I grow a lot more than on my list, for French Tarragon (not Russian which is tasteless), grows well here; that if put with a bit of lemon juice, black pepper and Garlic, then rubbed into Chicken is delicious!
People buy Parsley from their local shops and wonder why it dies; curly leaved Parsley is a biennial, the moment it flowers it dies, so don't let it flower, simple eh!
As for when is dinner, anytime you so wish!
Everyone comes for dinner here.
Regards.
From a Very Hot England!
Neil.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 04, 2009 at 07:11 AM:
I do need to add a tarragon plant to my herb garden... :-)
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Posted by NEILMUIR1 (from London, United Kingdom) on July 04, 2009 at 03:18 PM:
Petalplant,
You cannot cook without salt and pepper, so why try to cook without herbs.
Obviously I know you do, in your replies!
My wife and I are both trained Chefs, I gave that up many years ago to concentrate on gardening, which I love.
In answer to the next question, we work perfectly well in our kitchen, almost seamlessly which stuns everyone.
For a lot a couples do not get on in the kitchen.
My favorite treat is when I go Fishing, for to catch a Wild Sea Trout at night (the only time), is every Fisherman's dream.
Then to cook it with a butter sauce, with Chervil from the garden, and our own asparagus is a marriage made in Heaven!
Although I hasten to add, after all the work i put in my wife's favourite is; to go down to Kent and have an English High Afternoon Tea.
This consist of; warm scones, Homemade Butter (every thing is Homemade), Kent Strawberry jam and thick farm cream, with of course plenty of English tea!
Not good if you are on a diet!
Tarragon is perennial and is essential, it was minus 12.6 F here in February, and everything was covered in snow, it did not bother mine at all!
Kind Regards.
From a Rather Hot and Humid England.
Neil.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 04, 2009 at 07:31 PM:
"rather hot & humid" today... I guess the weather must be improving!
I'd rather try to cook without salt than without herbs... LOL
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Subject: Drying the pinched herbs
Posted by postmandug (from Bardstown, KY) on July 02, 2009 at 09:14 AM:
Jill as you pinch off pieces of say Basil, can they be dried? How? Thanks.
Doug
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 02, 2009 at 04:19 PM:
You can dry herbs in a low oven or a dehydrator, but I prefer to freeze them. If you click on my name and scroll down to the bottom of my list of articles on my homepage, you'll find 2 sequels to this article... the "save some for later" article has instructions on freezing and making herb vinegars.
:-)
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Posted by postmandug (from Bardstown, KY) on July 02, 2009 at 05:13 PM:
Thanks Jill!
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Subject: Lavender
Posted by ettasplace (from Elizabethton, TN) on August 27, 2007 at 02:48 PM:
I am growing lavender to use in making soap. I use the flower. However, the plant is not blooming and I planted it in the spring. Any suggestions?
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 27, 2007 at 03:12 PM:
My best guess is that it will bloom for you next year. Sometimes perennials need a little extra time to settle in. My lavender blooms in early summer, here, and is generally done by the end of June.
The first year, it's probably better to pinch and prune for shape and fullness anyway, rather than letting it flower. Just like the basil in the article, lavender will branch when it is pinched back. Just be sure to allow several weeks between the last time you pinch and your average first frost date.
I'll put together an article on lavender down the road... :-)
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Subject: thanks
Posted by debi_z (from Springfield, MA) on August 26, 2007 at 08:38 AM:
thanks jill,
this was perfectly timed for me. i cut back my leggy basil just a week ago, and was wondering if it would come back. i see i've done not to badly, and i only have a couple of repairs to make. thanks so much for your knowledge.
debi z and franklin my little gardening pekingese
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Subject: Found this recipe for herb flowers...
Posted by bolino (from Toledo, OH) on August 21, 2007 at 02:36 PM:
If your herbs are soon going to seed, use the flowers to make a delicious sauce for pasta, pork, chicken, or seafood. Feel free to experiment with most types of herb flowers. If you do not have the luxury of an herb garden or a source, you can substitute 1 cup of chopped herbs of choice for the flowers.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
* 2 cups basil, oregano, or sage flowers (or any combination)
* 1/2 cup walnut or sunflower oil
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
* 2 green onions, including green parts, coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION:
Toast pecans or walnuts in a hot skillet until fragrant. Let cool.
Place nuts, herb flowers, oil, garlic, green onions, salt, and pepper into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse into a coarse puree.
Toss with hot pasta or as a condiment to roasted pork, chicken, or seafood.
Yield: about 1-1/2 cups
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 09:43 PM:
Wonderful! I always feel vaguely guilty when I toss out the blooms I've pinched off my herbs... although I do generally throw them around the edge of my garden in the hopes that the scent will deter the bunnies. I'll have to try this!
Thanks!!
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Subject: Beautifully done!
Posted by weegy12 (from Rancho Cucamonga, CA) on August 21, 2007 at 11:42 AM:
Jill,
That is one beautifully done article and very helpful to me with pinching back the wonderful basil you sent me, which by the way, are doing wonderful. One of them is almost 4 feet tall and I've made bruschetta quite a few times. Thanks for sharing your basil and knowledge. How nice it is to see your picture, now I know what you look like!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 01:12 PM:
:-)
Thanks!
The next article in the series includes the bruschetta recipe that I use... I'll be interested in finding out how it compares to yours!
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Posted by weegy12 (from Rancho Cucamonga, CA) on August 21, 2007 at 01:15 PM:
...and you can bet I'll try it. Hey, you're cute! ;-)
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 21, 2007 at 04:22 PM:
I never had an herb garden, but you make me tempted to start one, Jill. I didn't know herbs made such pretty flowers! I appreciate the info. And yes, nice to place the face with the name!
Renee'
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Posted by DianeinFL (from Wimauma, FL) on August 22, 2007 at 04:21 PM:
Great article - and the pictures with graphics were very helpful : )
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Subject: thank you
Posted by mittsy (from Cicero, NY) on August 21, 2007 at 06:39 AM:
Wonderful article, I'm pinching back today. You mentioned trying to keep some of the cukes for yourself, we have a similar problem with a woodchuck that likes to eat our grape tomatoes growing in an old washing machine washtub. This critter will even come up on the deck when we have guests and they are amazed by the size of him. Probably got so big by eating my produce! Good luck with the cukes! Mittsy
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 08:38 AM:
I'm glad the article was helpful!
Those groundhogs are really something. We've had fat groundhogs waddle right up to the patio door on our deck too. This summer, an especially pesky one pruned back some nasturtiums growing by the door and ate 12 "replacement" cucumber seedlings down to nubs. grrrr I'm not sure if he's still under the deck or if I've managed to drive him off, but I don't think he's had any cukes this week, so maybe he's sticking to the corn in the field behind us now.
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Posted by GrammysGardenAZ (from Cochise, AZ) on August 21, 2007 at 04:42 PM:
Think we all have pests. I don't think we have groundhogs but I have millions of jack rabbits this year and bunnies, javalina, deer, gophers, prairie dogs, raccoons, birds and desert tortoises. The tortoises can clear a row of baby squash plants before you know they are there. None of them eat many herbs which is a blessing! I love your articles. Think this is the best of many good ideas Dave has implemented recently!
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Posted by paulgrow (from Allen Park, MI) on August 21, 2007 at 05:03 PM:
Very informative
Paul
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Subject: Very helpful article
Posted by BDale60 (from Warren, PA) on August 21, 2007 at 06:27 AM:
Thanks for the clear, well written guide to managing my herbs. This is something I need to work on, as I tend to end up with overgrown basil while I'm paying attention to other garden plants. But pinch me, I must be dreaming, it doesn't sound as difficult as I thought thanks to your great explanation!
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Posted by UniQueTreasures (from Beaumont, TX) on August 21, 2007 at 06:50 AM:
Wonderful article Jill! I really enjoyed having the photos as reference for where to pinch and prune. Thanks to your generosity with seeds, I have several kinds of basil this year. I've been enjoying them and am learning to be more adventurous in my cooking. :-)
Janet
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Posted by Kathleen (from Panama, NY) on August 21, 2007 at 07:59 AM:
Oh, Critter, there is hope for my basil! Great article, thanks!
Kathleen
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 08:00 AM:
Thanks for the article plus the photos of exactly where to pinch. Great side benefit to all this too - my fingernails and hands smell great !
Can't wait to read more of your herb care writings!
Dea
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Posted by podster (from Deep East Texas, TX) on August 21, 2007 at 08:19 AM:
Excellent article and very descriptive. I have learned much thru you on DG and hope to always be open minded enough to continue learning. Thanks ~ pod
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 08:34 AM:
Thanks for the kind comments! I'm glad the photos were helpful. :-)
LOL at Dea's comment... my hands still smell like basil this morning, but my thumb and forefinger have that dark stain under the nails again...
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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 21, 2007 at 08:55 AM:
Great job! Love the clear descriptions that go with the photos.
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Posted by Joan (from Belfield, ND) on August 21, 2007 at 09:36 AM:
I found your article very informative. I learned a lot of things I didn't know. I'm notorious for not getting into the herb garden often enough and find things have started blooming. I thought they were not usable at that point. I didn't realize that I could pinch them down and the new growth would be okay for culinary use.
Thanks!
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Posted by bolino (from Toledo, OH) on August 21, 2007 at 12:08 PM:
Thanks for telling me it's ok for what I am already doing! Nice to get validation!
I have such a small gardening area I have to cut back the basil and especially the oregano so they don't crowd other plants. Of course I use what I cut, but that darn basil keeps producing more than I need until enough tomatoes are ready.
I cut the oregano way back and it seems to LOVE it, producing more and more growth. I'm having nightmares of it taking over the world!!!
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Posted by McGlory (from Southeast, NE) on August 21, 2007 at 12:11 PM:
Though I'd like to have some herbs around, I've been afraid to try them. Even used to lurk on the Herb forum.
Your article made me decide to take the plunge and venture into herbs after all. Expect a d-mail next spring. :-) Good job, Miss Jill!
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 21, 2007 at 12:26 PM:
Gosh, Critter, you mean my DD (who knows just enough to be a nuisance) and her dire warnings about how everything will get "bitter" if I "allow" it to bloom (I didn't know what else to do) might not have the last word on everything? I'm ready to go out and start radically pruning everything. I can't, of course, do it immediately because said DD's 17th birthday party is this weekend!
xxxx, Carrie
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Posted by bluespiral (from Ellicott City, MD) on August 21, 2007 at 02:29 PM:
For an old plant-it and let-er-rip gardener, you've made pinching a seamless part of that first coming-to-consciousness cup of coffee - many thanks.
Karen
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) on August 21, 2007 at 02:55 PM:
Fabulous story! Great pictures (more than worth your trouble - many, many thanks!), great info and wonderfully presented. The herb suppliers for the local stores may soon be out of business! And for new herb growers, your article made is sound so easy that soon lots of new folks will enjoy the flavor of fresh herbs in their cooking. Excellent!!!
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Posted by Mahnot (from DFW area, TX) on August 25, 2007 at 06:52 AM:
Well, now I know what's been the problem with my basil -
I let it get too long and leggy and didn't pinch often enough.
Great article - very nicely done. Thanks.
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Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on August 27, 2007 at 02:37 PM:
Great article! Pictures + instructions were wonderful. Applause, applause.
Kathleen
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 27, 2007 at 02:46 PM:
I'm pinching back more blooms this afternoon myself... I've only been away for a few days, but those basil plants are really determined to flower! I let several plants of my favorite pesto basil bloom already to be sure of having lots of seed to share. :-)
I'm glad so many folks went out and pinched back their plants... tomorrow's article will have some suggestions for using all that new, fresh growth!
