How to Keep Basil From Bolting

Fresh basil contains a rich and strong flavor that comes from no other herb, making growing basil a practical way to get fresh basil at any time. However, as the summer months come the nature of the basil plant is to bolt, or flower, which produces fewer leaves as the plant refocuses its energy to produce seeds. To keep basil from bolting and to continue harvests of leaves, you'll need to watch your plants and know how to remove potential flowers as early as possible.

Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Look for clusters of petals at the end of basil stems nestled just after a pair of leaves starting in early summer. The flower is often a different color than the leaves, such as purple petals at the tips just above green leaves.
- 2
  Look down the stem below the flower tip to find pair of leaves that grow about an inch below the flower. Clip the stem just above this pair of leaves either by pushing your fingernail into the stem or cutting with scissors to remove the upper inch of the stem including the flower.
- 3
  Continue to remove all of the other flower ends of your basil as you find them. As you collect the flowers from the plant it will encourage branching and more leaf production, so pulling the flowers will ensure more leaves to harvest.
- 4
  Check your basil plants every week or so as summer leads to hotter days. Stems which have had the flowers removed will form new leaf producing branches, which will eventually also begin to bolt.
- 5
  Continue to remove the flowers for the entire season, or leave a few in place if you want to collect seeds for planting the following year.

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