Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, mint, thyme, and rosemary are very versatile and can be added to many dishes to enhance their flavour and health benefits.
In the supermarket, we often purchase fresh herbs in a pot, but this comes with some disadvantages. The plants are grown in a greenhouse to ensure freshness and quick consumption by removing the need for long-rooted development. It is often the case that the pots are too small, which leads to the root systems not developing sufficiently or the plants dying quite quickly.
Have you also ever wished that you could enjoy your fresh herbs longer? Find out more below about how you can do it.
Step 1: Begin Propagating Your Herb Plants
We have already taken our cuttings of basil, sage, mint, parsley, and rosemary, and it’s a simple process.
You can take cuttings from herbs you have growing in your garden or in a pot at home, or buy cuttings from a garden centre or florist. Whichever way you choose to do it, the process is easy and you can make several plants from a single cutting.
Here’s how it’s done:
- First, remove the herb plant from its pot as soon as you purchase it. Then carefully tear the plant into two or four pieces by its roots (depending on the size of the pot and how many plants are in it).
- Then make sure that you have some extra pots and some extra potting soil.
- Finally, plant the torn plants into large pots with plenty of potting soil and make sure to water them.
Step 2: Make Cuttings From Your Herb Plants
To ensure that the roots can grow strong, you should cut off the entire top of the plant, including the stem, until any new leaves start to appear.
This way, you can propagate new plants using the tops you cut off to make new cuttings. We have listed the process below:
- Cut the stems from the flowers at an angle and then place the cuttings into a cup or a pot with water so that the stem can soak up some water. This will allow the flowers to re-hydrate after they’ve been cut, so make sure that there is always enough water present.
- Then place the pot with the cutting in a warm place, such as on the window sill.
Step 3: Plant the Cuttings
After a week or two of planting your cuttings outside or in direct sunlight, you will notice roots forming on the bottom underside of the cuttings that you just planted.
When the roots are about 1 cm long, they are ready to be potted in potting soil. With a little patience, you should have fresh basil and mint plants in about 2 weeks!
