Growing Herbs

The best time to gather herbs is in the morning of a dry, sunny day after the dew has dried from the plants. If you are harvesting leaves, the peak time for flavor and fragrance is just before the plants flower in the spring. Harvests can continue as need and plant growth permit, until early fall. Trim off any flower heads from basil and mint for continued top-quality leaf production. Annuals can be harvested until a fall frost kills them, but perennials should be allowed to grow unimpeded for 40 to 60 days before the first frost so they can harden off before winter. If, as in the case of lavender, you are harvesting flowers, cut flower stalk before the blooms are fully open since they will continue to open as they dry. Similarly, for seed harvests of coriander, anise, fennel, dill, and the like, cut the stalks before the seeds begin to shatter from the heads. For a harvest of leaves ,always cut stems; don't just strip off individual leaves and desert the naked stems in the garden. You can cut as much as three-quarters of the current season's growth in a given harvest. Naturally, harvest only disease-free growth. If you harvest is small, you can rack-dry it in a well-ventilated room out of direct sunlight. Use a screen, bamboo tray, or cheesecloth-covered cookie sheet (paper towels do fine as a covering, too).Lay the stems down in a single layer so the leaves don't overlap.Turn or stir the herbs once or a day until dry and crumbly.