Basil is the herb that rewards picking. The more you pinch it, the bushier and more productive it becomes — every stem you cut just above a pair of leaves grows back as two new stems. The trick is to harvest regularly and correctly, taking the growing tips before the plant flowers, because once basil flowers its leaves turn bitter and production drops off sharply. Picked well, a few basil plants will supply you all summer.
Basil takes 60–70 days to mature, according to the Garden Grove crop data. It is a tender herb in the Lamiaceae family with moderate water needs. For the full growing picture, see our growing guide for basil, and use the Harvest Date Calculator to work out your picking window from your sowing date. Browse the full guides hub and the tools hub for more harvest timing advice, and check your local extension service for dates suited to your climate.
Basil at a glance
| Growing factor | What basil needs |
|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 60–70 |
| Category | herb |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Cold tolerance | tender |
| Water needs | moderate |
Signs basil is ready to pick
The sign to read is growth, not size alone. A basil plant is ready for its first picking when it is about six to eight inches tall and has several sets of true leaves — in other words, when pinching the tip will leave plenty of leaf below the cut. The leaves should be bright green, smooth and fragrant, and the stems soft and green rather than woody.
The most important sign is flowering. As soon as you see flower buds forming at the tip of a stem, that stem should be pinched off right away. Flowering changes the flavour of the leaves, making them bitter and less aromatic, and it tells the plant to stop making leaves and start making seed. Check your plants every few days in summer, because basil can go from leafy to flowering in less than a week in hot weather.
How to pick basil
Pinch basil with your fingers or snip it with clean scissors, cutting each stem just above a pair of leaves. That pair of leaves will each grow a new stem, so one cut becomes two branches — this is the whole secret of a bushy basil plant. Take the top few inches of each stem, including the tender growing tip, and work your way around the plant rather than stripping one side bare.
Never take more than about a third of the plant at any one picking, and never pull leaves off one by one from the stem — that leaves bare stems and weakens the plant. Harvest the largest, topmost stems first, and always cut above a leaf node, never below it. If a stem has already flowered, cut it back to the first set of leaves below the flowers to encourage fresh growth. For the full growing picture, see our growing guide for basil.
The best time of day to harvest
Harvest basil in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. That is when the leaves are dry, crisp and most aromatic, because the essential oils are at their most concentrated after a cool night. Leaves picked in the afternoon heat are often limp and less flavourful, and wet leaves picked while the dew is still on them dry slowly and can go mouldy in storage.
Choose a dry day for harvesting if you can, and avoid picking after rain, when the foliage is wet and heavy. If you must pick on a damp day, spread the cuttings out in a single layer in a ventilated spot for an hour before you bundle or bag them. And get the harvest out of the sun straight away — a basket of cut herbs left in the sun for an hour will wilt and lose much of its aroma. Morning picking is a small habit that makes a real difference to flavour and keeping quality.
How often to pick
Basil is a pick-little-and-often crop, and regular picking is part of good plant care, not just a way to get a harvest. Once the plant is established, you can take a small picking every week or two through the growing season, always leaving enough growth for the plant to recover. Each cut encourages the plant to branch and push out fresh, tender growth, so a plant that is picked regularly stays bushy and productive far longer than one that is left alone.
Do not wait for a single big harvest unless the plant is one you cut whole for drying — for most herbs, steady, small pickings give you better flavour and a healthier plant. Take a few sprigs from several plants rather than a large handful from one, and always leave at least two-thirds of the plant intact. If you go away for a few weeks, ask someone to pick the herbs, or cut the plant back before you leave so it regrows while you are gone.
What happens if basil is left too long
Basil left unpicked grows tall, leggy and woody, with small leaves and a flower spike at every tip. The leaves turn bitter once flowering starts, and the plant puts its energy into seed rather than new leaves. An unpinched basil plant can be almost bare at the base with all its growth at the top — a waste of a productive plant.
If your basil has bolted, it is not too late. Cut the whole plant back by half, removing all the flower spikes, water it well and feed it lightly — it will usually push out a flush of fresh, tender leaves within a couple of weeks. Use the bitter older leaves in cooked dishes, where heat softens the bitterness, and save the fresh regrowth for salads and pesto. The lesson is simple: pinch basil often, even when you do not need it.
How to store basil
Basil is best used fresh, but a glut can be preserved well. For short-term storage, stand the cut stems in a jar of water on the kitchen counter like a bunch of flowers, loosely covered with a plastic bag — they will stay fresh for a week or more. Do not refrigerate fresh basil, because cold temperatures blacken the leaves.
For longer keeping, freezing beats drying for basil. Blitz the leaves with a little olive oil into a paste and freeze it in ice-cube trays, or freeze whole leaves in oil in small bags. Frozen basil keeps its flavour for months and is perfect for pasta, soups and sauces. You can also make pesto and freeze it in portions. Dried basil loses much of its aroma, so freeze it if you can; if you do dry it, use the Herb Drying Calculator to work out drying times.
Succession and continuous harvest tips
Basil is a tender annual, so succession sowing is the way to keep it coming all season. Sow a small batch every three to four weeks from late spring through mid-summer, and each new batch will be at its peak just as the older plants start to flower and fade. Basil needs warm soil to germinate well, so do not sow outdoors until the nights are reliably warm.
Keep plants well watered — basil with moderate water needs wilts fast in dry soil, and drought-stressed plants bolt to flower quickly. Pinch the tips regularly even when you do not need leaves for cooking, because unpinched plants grow tall, leggy and flower early. At the end of the season, take a final big harvest before the first cold nights, and pot up a plant or two to bring indoors for winter leaves.
If you are also growing other herbs and vegetables, our guides to harvesting cilantro and harvesting sage follow the same picking principles, and check your local extension service for advice suited to your area.
Frequently asked questions
When can I start harvesting basil?
Once the plant is six to eight inches tall with several sets of leaves, typically 60–70 days from sowing. Pinch the tips regularly from then on.
How much basil can I take at once?
No more than about a third of the plant at a time. Always cut just above a pair of leaves so two new stems grow back.
Should I remove basil flowers?
Yes — pinch off flower buds as soon as you see them. Flowering makes the leaves bitter and slows leaf production.
Can I freeze basil?
Yes, freezing is the best way to preserve it. Blitz leaves with olive oil and freeze in ice-cube trays, or freeze whole leaves in oil.
Why are my basil leaves turning black in the fridge?
Basil hates cold. Store cut stems in water on the counter instead of refrigerating them, and never put fresh basil in a cold fridge drawer.