Harvesting Herbs From The Garden (& How to Prune Herbs)

Harvesting fresh herbs is one of the most rewarding parts of knowing how to grow herbs in the garden. There’s nothing quite like stepping outside, snipping a handful of fragrant leaves, and bringing that burst of flavor straight into your kitchen! 

The best part is that harvesting herbs isn’t just about enjoying the herbs; it actually encourages healthier, bushier plant growth when done correctly. With a few simple techniques, you can keep your herb garden producing abundantly all season long while capturing gourmet flavor with every cut!

The Spice of Life 

At the MIgardener headquarters, we have a herb trial garden where we are currently growing 30 to 40 different herbs from seed! These include herb varieties that we carry in the MIgardener store and new seeds we’re considering carrying.

We use this trial herb garden to test the viability and quality of seeds, but also to perfect the best growing practices to pass on to you! I hope you'll enjoy some of our other guides that share how to dry herbs, how to grow basil from seed, how to grow lavender, how to grow saffron, how to grow catnip, and how to grow borage.

Annual Herbs vs Perennial Herbs

Annual herbs, such as dill and cilantro, complete their life cycles in a single season. Perennial herbs, such as oregano, return year after year. Some herbs, like parsley, are biennials—they live for two years but are usually grown as annuals.

Harvesting Herbs To Encourage More Leafy Growth

Pruning and harvesting herbs is one of the best ways to keep your herb plants healthy and productive! Regular cutting encourages new bushy foliage to grow (which means higher yields), improves airflow, helps prevent fungal diseases, and prevents leggy plants.

How to Harvest Fresh Herbs

As a general rule, do not harvest more than ⅓ of the plant at one time and do not cut away the center of the plant. Harvest fresh herbs in the morning after the leaves are dry. Use clean pruning shears, sharp scissors or mico-tips snips to clip off the newest foliage.

How to Prune Herbs

Proper pruning will also prevent early bolting, especially for annual herbs. Herbs, like basil, can form flowers and bolt quickly. If you don’t remove the flowers before it goes to seed, the plant will stop growing and begin to die back.

Pruning any perennial herb, whether it be lavender, thyme, sage, or oregano, will really help encourage new growth next season. That new growth will be the most fragrant and best for use as a culinary herb!

The best time to prune perennial herbs is in early spring or late fall. I prune most of my perennial herbs back in the fall so they’re ready to grow in the spring. 

To prune perennial herbs, use clean pruning shears or sharp scissors to remove dead or diseased foliage and trim the plant back towards the center. Don’t feel like you are hurting them by pruning them back! As long as you leave about 30% of the plant, it will grow back just fine because the roots remain intact.

What to Do After Harvesting Herbs

After harvesting herbs, enjoy them fresh for maximum health benefits and peak flavor. If you want to preserve them for use later, here's our guide on how to dry herbs the way it has been done for centuries!