A member of the mint family, basil finds many uses when it comes to cooking. The herb has many helpful benefits, including containing calcium and vitamin K. But growing it can be difficult, especially if your plants are indoors. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your next basil harvest.

Fresh basil is prized by chefs everywhere

Basil is a popular plant with cooks. They use it to flavor their meals, giving the food they cook a sweet and savory taste with a hint of mint and pepper. Like many herbs, basil can be grown at home. But knowing how to grow and harvest basil is important to get the best results.

Stacey Murphy

Stacey Murphy is a Brooklyn, New York native, who wanted to get back to her roots in her mom’s garden when she was young. So, she grew her own garden within the city and hasn’t looked back since. Soon, she was growing herbs and vegetables in her garden and made it her life’s mission to help others do the same.

What to look for when buying a plant

When growing basil, Murphy has some recommendations. It all starts with picking the right basil plant for your garden. In essence avoid basil plants that are brown or yellow, as this signifies that the plant is nearing the end of its life. Short and bushy basil plants that are dark green are best.

When growing your basil plants, aim to grow them in clumps. Otherwise, you are just wasting space. Look for plants that have between three to five stems growing off from the main stem. You should also avoid tall basil plants as these plants are not the healthiest.

Know when to Prune

Basil plants bifurcate when you cut them. What this means is that every time you prune the plant it will split off into two stems.

For the initial pruning of your basil plant, cut right above the third node. This allows the plant to grow two more stems and stay healthy. But you shouldn’t stop there as pruning and harvesting your basil plant often is an important part of the plant’s growth.

Harvest often

You should harvest your basil plant weekly. This allows the basil plant to keep growing leaves and not flowers, which is what you want. If you neglect to cut the plant properly, it will start to flower. If left to grow, the plant will eventually get to the point where it turns brown or yellow, signaling the end of its growing cycle.

Once you have harvested your basil, make sure to keep the harvested basil leaves at room temperature. Otherwise, they can brown and die quickly. You should also cut off the bottom few leaves from the stem and then stick the end of the remaining stem in a cup of water to keep it fresh.

For more on Murphy, check out her YouTube channel or Website

To catch Murphy’s basil growing tips, watch the following video.

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Sources: YouTube – Stacey Murphy, MedicalNewsToday, Grow Your Own Vegetables