Harvesting by plant part

01The part sets the calendar

The same plant can be harvested at different times depending on which part you want. A dong quai root is lifted in autumn; its seed is collected a few weeks earlier; its leaves are not the crop. Knowing the part is the first step to a good harvest, and it is the reason this site groups its index by root, leaf, flower, fruit and bark.

Weather matters as much as date. A dry week after a wet spell is better than a wet week after a dry one. Harvest in the morning, after dew has dried, when the plant is turgid but not heat-stressed.

02Roots and rhizomes

Lift roots when the top growth has done its work: after die-back in autumn, or in late winter before new growth starts. The plant has moved its reserves down, and the root is at its fullest. For biennials such as dong quai and burdock, harvest before the second-year flower stem rises, or the root turns woody.

Water the bed the day before to soften the soil. Fork widely around the crown and ease the root out; levering straight up snaps the best part. Wash, scrub, trim and slice promptly. Rhizomes such as ginger and turmeric are lifted when the leaves yellow, before frost.

1. Cut the stems at ground level.
2. Fork 30 cm from the crown and lift.
3. Scrub, trim and slice while fresh.
4. Dry until brittle, then condition and label.

03Leaves and stems

Most leafy herbs are at their best just before flowering, when the plant's energy is still in the leaf rather than the flower. RHS herb guidance recommends cutting before flowering to promote bushy growth (RHS). Cut the top 10–20 cm of young growth, leaving enough stem and leaf for the plant to recover. Take no more than a third of the plant at once.

Cut in the morning after dew, and process the same day. A second cut after flowering often produces a fresh flush of tender leaves. Do not strip a young plant in its first season; let it establish.

04Flowers

Pick flowers when they are fully open but still fresh, unless the tradition calls for buds. Honeysuckle buds are gathered just before opening; chamomile and calendula are picked open; lavender is cut as the first flowers open on the spike. Handle them gently and dry them quickly.

Leave some flowers for pollinators, especially on lavender, oregano, thyme and yarrow. A healthy herb garden is not a stripped one. Deadheading after harvest can encourage a second flush on calendula and chrysanthemum.

05Fruits and seeds

Berries are picked when fully coloured and slightly soft. Seed heads are collected when they turn brown but before they shatter. For fennel, milk thistle and dill, cut the head into a paper bag and let it dry upside down so the seed is caught.

Taste is a reliable signal for fruit: if it is bland or bitter, it is not ready. For seed, the rattle test works: shake the head and listen for loose seed. Harvest in stages, because ripening is rarely uniform.

06Bark and twigs

Bark and twigs are a long-term harvest from trees and shrubs. Take only from healthy, mature plants, and never ring a trunk. Small twigs can be pruned in late winter while the tree is dormant; leaves are gathered in autumn before they drop.

Ginkgo is the tree in this index, and its leaf is the harvest, not its seed. Remove only a modest amount from low branches so the tree keeps its canopy and its energy. A tree is not a herb bed: the harvest should never threaten the plant.

07Keep a harvest log

Write down what you picked, when, from which bed, and how it dried. A simple notebook entry — “peppermint, top third, bed 2, 14 June, air-dried 8 days, two jars” — is enough. Over three seasons, that log becomes the most useful document in the garden: it tells you which plant, which timing and which method actually worked.

Label the jar with the same information. A harvest you cannot identify in January is a harvest you cannot use with confidence.