Proper Way to Trim Herb Plants

Herbs are edible plants common in kitchen gardens or indoor container gardens. The plants do not generally become large or unruly enough to warrant regular pruning, and harvesting the herbs for cooking usually keeps the plant size manageable. There is a method to trimming herb plants that will keep the plant healthy and provide the gardener with the most fragrant and best-tasting harvest.

Kitchen shears

Instructions

- 1
  Cut off any dead or damaged stems with kitchen shears in the early spring, just as the herbs begin to produce new leaves. Stems that did not survive winter will not produce leaves with the rest of the plant.
- 2
  Remove any branches on the underside of the plant that have dead leaves.
- 3
  Wait until the plants just begin producing blooms before harvesting. Most herbs are the most flavorful at that time of the growing season.
- 4
  Harvest the herbs by cutting off the amount you need with the kitchen shears. Do this in the early morning, after the dew evaporates. If you need more than one stem, alternate the sides of the plant you harvest from to keep the shape even.
- 5
  Continue harvesting the herb plants as you need them, rotating cuttings from all sides of the plant.

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