How to Harvest Basil in Your Farm or Garden

The herbaceous, minty-tasting basil plant is a favorite amongst professional and at-home growers. Why? Not only can it be used in a variety of delicious dishes, but it’s also fairly easy to harvest.

Learn more about this annual herb and how to grow it both indoors and outdoors, with help from our expert tips below.

What is basil?

Fresh basil, scientifically known as Ocimum basilicum, is a bright green herb in the mint family native to tropical regions like southern Asia and islands of the South Pacific. It is used as a culinary staple across many cultural cuisines, from Mediterranean to Middle Eastern, African, and Asian dishes. Basil can be used fresh or dried to enhance the sweet and savory flavors of meats, teas, sauces, and many more foods and drinks.

How to harvest basil

Because basil is an annual plant, it grows quickly. From seed to full-leaf can take as little as three to four weeks. Basil is a great option for beginner gardeners and for the time-consumed farmer who understands the ease of its harvesting process. Ready to get started? Allow us to share with you how to harvest basil in your home garden or farm.

How to grow basil at home

Basil can grow in a variety of weather conditions, so whether you’d like to keep it in a pot inside or outside, or even plant it right into your garden, it’s very doable to achieve a successful harvest (Pro tip: Make sure the threat of spring frost has passed before planting basil outdoors).

1. Start by planting basil seeds about 1/4-inch deep in a drainable pot or part of your garden with rich, organic soil – like compost. Pre-moistening the soil helps, too.

2. Choose a spot for your basil indoors or outdoors that provides at least 6-8 hours of sun each day, with plenty of afternoon shade – especially in the hot summer months.

3. Keep the seeds moist and in a couple of days, you should begin to see sprouts. Once you notice some leaves forming, you should separate the plants to give them more room to grow.

4. If you’re starting with a pre-grown plant instead of seeds, space them out 12-16 inches in your garden, or place one in each pot that you’re keeping inside or outside.

5. To ensure your basil grows thoroughly, pinch to prune the growing leaf heads when the plant becomes about six inches tall and remove any flower heads that start to form. If basil is producing flowers, that means it’s done growing new leaves. Continue to pick leaves as regularly as needed.

More pro tips: Never soak your seeds/plants, only moisten them to avoid rotting. Even if rainfall is scarce, you should water your basil with about an inch of water, once a week. Outdoor basil likely won’t need fertilizer, but indoor basil might. Make sure to always use an organic indoor house plant fertilizer that won’t interfere with healthy consumption of your herbs.

How to harvest basil on your farm

Now on to harvesting basil on a much larger scale. The first thing you’re going to need is a basil harvesting machine and a trailer to drive alongside the harvesting machine to collect the plants.

Planting basil on your farm follows the same basic processes as we shared for at-home gardeners – it’s the management of the land and the collection of the leaves that looks quite different.

Most farmers should expect to harvest basil about four to five times per season. Use your harvesting machine to pass through your land and mow (or cut) the upper portions of your basil plants. What should farmers do when there is no basil to collect? Remove weeds, apply fertilizer, and irrigate! Every 30-35 days, basil should be ready to cut.

Once the trailer has gathered the basil, the harvest should be processed in an individual quick freeze (IQF) facility to separate stem from leaf, and then get packaged according to customer needs.

The best ways to use basil

The more strenuous part of the process is growing and harvesting basil, but the easiest part is consuming it! Some of our favorite ways to eat the fruits (or herbs) of our labor are:

• Blending basil into a rich pesto sauce

• Topping a caprese salad with a leaf of basil and a drizzle of olive oil

• Adding fresh flavor to an Asian-style soup

• Steeping lemon and basil into a refreshing green tea

Have extra basil on hand? The best way to store it is by wrapping the leaves in a damp paper towel and placing it into a loose plastic bag. Basil stems can be stored in a glass jar with a couple inches of water. If you’d like to store it for longer, blanch the leaves first, then dry them thoroughly before placing them in a freezer bag.

At Fastline, we know what it takes to grow flavorful basil plants. Check out our selection of harvesting equipment to get started on your farm’s crop, and for more general growing tips, visit more articles on our blog page.