How do I harvest and use herbs grown indoors?
How do I harvest and use herbs grown indoors?
Harvest herbs indoors as you would if grown outdoors. Most do well with periodic snipping as they are needed in the kitchen. Leafy annual herbs, like basil, chervil, and parsley, can be cut back severely when harvested. Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, cut just above a leaf or pair of leaves. Leave approximately 4 to 6 inches of the stem for later growth. Do not cut back leafy perennial herbs as heavily as annual herbs. On perennials, such as chives, mint, oregano, and thyme, remove the top one-third of growth.
After several harvests, it is best to discard old annual herbs and start new plants from seed. Once the danger of frost has passed in the spring, perennial and tender perennial herbs, like rosemary, bay laurel and marjoram, can be moved outdoors where the harvest can continue all summer.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on . The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.