Re: herbs

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: : : i grow basil, and it get woody, really fast.........could you help me on what to do?  thank you for your time    betsy
:    It's basil's nature to get woody from the ground up. don't just pinch it back, whack it! cut back the plant severely, leaving just one or two pairs of leaves on each stem. if you look at a basil plant closely, way down on the stems are small leaves that will never grow unless they are stimulated by pruning. try this one one or two plants if you are unsure. then, when you see how well the plants respond you can do it to the rest of them. i've been doing this for 30yrs, it never fails. i make and freeze quarts of pesto every summer and i need armloads of basil to do it. this is the way i get it. steel yourself, it doesn't hurt a bit( although the basil is screaming!) a little levity there. good luck, and enjoy
: : Hi Betsy,

: : I realize that you posted this a long time ago, but here's what you do to keep the basil from getting too woody.  Just keep pinching, even if you aren't going to use the leaves for cooking.  This will help to keep them bushy.  Most basil plants aren't very long lived, so you may have to plant new ones every year.

: : Newt



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