Difficulty
Beginner
Duration
Under 2 hours
If you have planted an herb garden, chances are your crop will produce more than what you need on a given day. Don't let the excess go to waste. Instead, you can harvest herbs so that you can enjoy them all year. This guide discusses how to harvest and preserve herbs from your garden.
How to Harvest Herbs
When your plants have been in the ground for several weeks, they usually have grown big enough for you to harvest leaves. Using sharp scissors like pruning snips, cut herbs at the top, no more than two to three inches. Leave enough of the plant so that it continues growing. This type of trimming is healthy for the plant. It keeps the herb from growing leggy and promotes a bushy growth. It also keeps it from going to seed, which prolongs the life of the plant.
At the end of the growing season, but before the first frost, you'll want to harvest any remaining herbs in your garden. This is when you can harvest the entire plant.
How to Preserve Herbs
There are several ways to preserve herbs so that you can enjoy them throughout the year:
Dry:
- Bind small bundles of rosemary, thyme, oregano and other herbs and hang in a warm place out of direct sunlight.
- After a few days, place herbs on a cookie sheet in a 150 degree Fahrenheit oven for an hour.
- To dry a few sprigs at a time, place them between paper towels in your microwave. Zap for 30 seconds, wait a few minutes, then zap again and repeat until the herbs are dry.
- Use a dehydrator for crisp-dry herbs in three hours or less.
Freeze:
- Lightly coat clean, dry herbs such as basil and parsley with olive oil and freeze on cookie sheets.
- Or, place herbs in ice cube trays filled with water, juice or olive oil. For a pesto-like paste, blend herbs with olive oil before freezing.
- Once frozen, store in freezer-safe containers.
Infuse:
- Place 1/2 cup of washed, dry herbs such as dill, basil, tarragon or thyme in a clean pint glass jar and fill with oil or vinegar.
- Place in refrigerator and let steep for up to two weeks.
- Strain into a clean jar or decorative bottle. Add a fresh herb sprig. Close tightly. Store in refrigerator and use within a few weeks.
Harvesting herbs can be as fulfilling as growing them. The Home Depot has a variety of herbs for you to plant in the spring as well as a great selection of gardening tools to help you tend your herb garden. You can also use The Home Depot Mobile App if you want to compare items before purchase. Either way, you can find everything you need to plant, grow and harvest a robust herb garden.
