Sidewalk Community Garden:
How to Harvest Herbs
Thanks for stopping by our Curbside Herb Bins!
Everything planted here is for you to harvest and enjoy at home, free of cost.
Not sure how to harvest? Check out the video or photos below on best practices for harvesting fresh herbs.
Step 1: Harvesting Tool
Find the attached scissors on an herb bin, this is what you'll use to harvest (cut) your herbs of choice.
Step 2: Select Your Herb
Select the herb you'd like to harvest.
If there's more than one around, select one that's tallest or more "full."
Step 3: Snipping Stems
Gather the stem or stems you'd like to clip off from the top (or outside) of the plant. Trim off no more than 5-6 inches at a time.
Step 4: Enjoy Your Herbs
Once you've trimmed off how much you'd like, use immediately or store for later use (see ways to store herbs below).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of the herbs can I harvest?
There are multiple plants of each herb so feel free to harvest from multiple plants to gather the amount you wish to use. All we ask is that there's still enough left on each plant for others to harvest as well.
How do I store my herbs?
There are different ways people store herbs. Here are a few options:
- Placing them in water, covering them with plastic wrap, and storing them in the fridge
- Place herbs in between paper towel, seal in a Ziploc bag, and place in the fridge
- Trim stems and remove bottom leaves to put in water and place on the counter (like fresh flowers); keep out of direct sunlight
Can I remove an entire herb to plant at home?
Unfortunately, the herbs in the planter boxes need to stay in the planter boxes. But most herbs you can propagate (start new plants from trimmings). Learn how to do that here.
We also have mini-gardens we give away for free which you can contact us or come to our events to retrieve for your own home.
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