Harvest guide

Basil harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Basil is a cut-and-come-again herb. Pinching shoot tips keeps plants bushy and gives you leaves all summer. Here is how to pick and keep it.

Harvest months: June–October(RHS)
Spacing: 10–20 cm (4–8 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Botanical name: Ocimum basilicum

Basil planting and harvest calendar

Sow March–July. Harvest June–October.(RHS)

Basil season timeline

Sow
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sow
Harvest

When to harvest basil

Pick leaves while they are young and tender.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Take a few shoot tips from each plant rather than stripping single leaves. This keeps plants bushy and productive. The flowers are edible too.(RHS)

How often to pick

Pick little and often all summer, or cut whole plants when you need a lot for pesto.(RHS)

How many basil to expect

The extension sources we use don't publish a reliable yield figure for basil, so we don't guess one here. Weighing your own harvest is the best way to know what your plants give.

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Storing your basil

Keep basil at room temperature with the stems in water, like cut flowers. Expect about five days.(University of Minnesota Extension)
It discolours in the fridge.(University of Minnesota Extension)

Track it

Log every basil harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of basil by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.