Harvest & storage
Harvest herbs and pinch basil for more growth
Identify the culinary herb and edible part.
When to do it
During healthy active growth, after plants have enough foliage to spare.
What you need
- Clean scissors
- Clean container
How to do it
- Identify the culinary herb and edible part. Check treatment restrictions and avoid stressed or newly planted specimens.
- For basil, cut a shoot just above a healthy pair of leaves, leaving several leaves below to support regrowth. Remove developing flower tips if leafy growth is the aim.
- For parsley and similar rosette herbs, take a few outer stems at their base while preserving the growing centre.
- For woody herbs, take young leafy tips and leave green growth on the retained stem. Do not strip branches back to bare old wood.
- Rotate harvests around the plant, keeping most foliage. Use fresh, or dry suitable herbs in a clean airy place; freeze suitable surplus promptly.
What success looks like
- The plant keeps a healthy canopy and produces new shoots.
Watch out for
- Taking most of a small plant for one meal.
- Using one cutting method for every herb.
Plant guides using this technique
Basil
Fragrant leaves to pick a little at a time.
Parsley
Parsley with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Chives
Chives with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Mint
Mint with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Oregano
Oregano with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Sweet marjoram
Sweet marjoram with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Thyme
Thyme with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Rosemary
Rosemary with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Sage
Sage with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Coriander
Fresh leaves or aromatic seed from the same plant.
Dill
Dill with practical five-zone Australian timing.
Related help
Prune rosemary, sage and other woody herbs gently
Check how the herb grows and where green leafy shoots remain.
Pinch tips and remove spent flowers where useful
Identify the growing tip, leaf pairs, flower buds and spent flowers before cutting.
Sources and review
Checked 24 September 2026. Source-checked editorial guidance; not field-tested or independently reviewed by a horticulturist.