Learn to Grow: Pruning Herbs to Increase Their Yield

Herbs are a great entry point for first-time gardeners and a cornerstone of any avid planter’s plot. However, they can be a bit of a fickle friend. You patiently wait for them to grow, but then -- in a flash -- they start flowering! While these flowers are beautiful, they present a bit of a problem for gardeners looking to increase the yield they’re get from each plant.

The most successful herb gardeners, like Misilla on “Learn to Grow,” know just when to harvest and prune these kinds of plants so they taste best and keep giving all season long. In this episode, she shares a few tips on pruning and harvesting herbs to help you along the way!

When a herb plant is focusing its energy on flowering, it causes the leaves to grow slower and smaller than before. That’s why it’s important to harvest herbs before flowering or continue to prune them back once flowering begins. Not to mention: if you plan on drying herbs, it’s best to harvest them now before they blossom. Otherwise, it’ll deplete the plants of compounds that give them their aroma and flavor.


MORE VIDEOS!


Learn To Grow
The New Crop

Marion is a digital content manager for RFD News and FarmHER + RanchHER. She started working for Rural Media Group in May 2022, bringing a decade of digital experience in broadcast media and some cooking experience to the team.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

National Land Realty’s Jeramy Stephens discusses tight farmland inventory, cattle demand, and regional land value trends heading into next year.
American Soybean Association Vice President Dave Walton discusses U.S.-China trade, soybean purchases, tariffs, and harvest conditions on his Iowa operation.
Purdue research finds U.S. and Argentine cattle producers have different outlooks. Specialty Risk Insurance explains how LRP and PRF coverage can help cattle producers manage market and rainfall risks.
Farm Bureau economist Dr. Faith Parum discusses rising diesel prices, farm input costs, potential export restrictions, and the outlook for 2027.
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer discusses the expected 2027 annual gift tax exclusion, common misunderstandings, and ways farm families can use the exclusion in their planning.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst says the next major step for the Farm Bill will come after the November elections — with Proposition 12, year-round E15, foreign farmland ownership, and negotiations over a five-year bill among the issues still in focus.