Rosemary is a beautiful herb. I love adding it on top of my two ingredient sourdough crackers, using it with garlic butter on top of my steak, or as a spice in potatoes, soups, herbal remedies and more.
But rosemary is a bit more fickle than most other herbs, it prefers warmer climates and will not overwinter in Zone 5 or lower. So even though it’s a perennial, it can really only be grown as an annual here.
That means learning how to harvest rosemary is different for us northerners. In this article I’ll go over how to harvest rosemary so you can get as much of this aromatic herb dried and stored for the winter before our warm season ends.
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Quick Answer: How to Harvest Rosemary
Harvest rosemary by cutting healthy, green stems with clean pruners, avoiding cuts too far into the older woody growth. During summer, take smaller harvests so the plant can continue growing. If you grow rosemary as an annual in a cold climate, make a larger final harvest before the first hard frost so the plant doesn’t go to waste.
Is Rosemary a Perennial or Annual?
Botanically speaking, rosemary is a perennial, but whether it behaves like one in your garden depends on your climate and the variety you’re growing. Some cold-hardy varieties can survive protected conditions in Zone 6 or 7, while rosemary is much more reliably perennial in warmer zones.
Here in Zone 5, we don’t count on rosemary surviving outdoors through winter. We treat it as an annual unless we bring it inside, which is a whole article in itself.
When Is Rosemary Ready to Harvest?
Since rosemary is an annual for us, the size of the plant is more important when learning how to harvest rosemary.
Wait until the plant is established and actively growing. Do not harvest a tiny new transplant, it needs to have a few branches before considering harvest.
There are two types of rosemary harvests in our cold-climate garden.
- Small rosemary harvests throughout the summer
- Larger final harvest before frost
What Time of Day Is Best to Harvest Rosemary?
Like all herbs that need to be harvested, the best time of the day is mid-morning after the dew has dried.
The other best time is late afternoon/evening as the mid-day heat has passed.
If you need to grab just a sprig for your dinner, harvest that whenever you need it.
How to Harvest Rosemary So It Keeps Growing
If you’ve ever harvested herbs before like basil in particular, it follows the same pattern.
Step 1: Choose Healthy Rosemary Stems
Look for healthy, green growth on the rosemary. I’ve personally never seen a bad rosemary sprig, if you have – please let me know in the comments below!
Step 2: Find a Tender Green Stem
Look for the younger, flexible growth toward the ends of the rosemary branches. As the plant matures, the lower portions of the stems become woody. For regular summer harvests, I stick primarily to the green growth rather than cutting deeply into the older woody part of the plant.
Step 3: Cut Above Leaf Nodes
Follow the tender green stem down near the base until you see the bottom and where leaf nodes are. Using cleaned garden pruners, make your cut just above a set of leaf nodes. New growth can develop from the remaining nodes, helping the rosemary branch out and become bushier.
You don’t need to cut all the way down to the base. I usually leave several sets of leaves below my cut so the plant has plenty of foliage remaining to continue growing.
Step 4: Don’t Over Harvest
During the growing season, I avoid taking more than about one-third of the plant in a single large harvest. With a small or newly established rosemary plant, I take considerably less.
Based on the image above, I would only harvest about 2 maybe 3 sprigs from that plant.
Step 5: Let the Rosemary Regrow
Just like oregano, basil, thyme, sage and countless other herbs, regular harvests can encourage branching and bushier growth.
How to Pick Rosemary for Cooking
If you need to pick the rosemary for cooking, just follow step 3 above and cut above the leaf node to harvest a sprig of rosemary.
Does Rosemary Grow Back After Cutting?
Yes it will grow back, assuming you’re cutting healthy growth appropriately during active growth.
Going back to where to harvest on the rosemary plant, if you want continual growth, do not cut back into the woody base.
How to Harvest Rosemary Before Frost
Picture this: you are days out from the first frost of your season, your rosemary plant will die under the stress. Now it’s time for your final big harvest.
When To Make Your Final Rosemary Harvest
This is unique to every person reading this. Watch your specific regional forecast rather than relying on a calendar expected first frost date.
For example, in Zone 5B, our first frost date is usually early October. As October approaches, I will be watching my weather app and paying attention to the weather patterns to determine when to do the last big harvest.
How Much Rosemary Can You Harvest Before Frost?
If you’re treating your rosemary as an annual and aren’t planning to bring it indoors, you no longer need to follow the conservative harvesting rules you used all summer.
Take it all.
Harvest all of the usable rosemary before a hard freeze. At this point, you can cut much farther down the plant, including woody stems that still have healthy leaves. You can even pull the entire plant as part of your fall garden cleanup.
What If You Want to Keep Your Rosemary Plant?
If you want to keep your rosemary plant instead of taking a final harvest, another option is to pot it up and bring it indoors before freezing weather arrives. Do this well before a hard frost and inspect the plant carefully for pests before bringing it into your home.
Overwintering rosemary indoors comes with its own challenges, so we’ll cover that process separately.
Should You Wash Rosemary After Harvesting?
Yes, I always recommend washing herbs after harvesting. You don’t want to have extra protein or dirt in your herbs.
What to Do with Fresh Rosemary After Harvesting?
There’s so much to do with it!
Use a fresh sprig to baste melted garlic butter on top of steak, or add it to the top of your focaccia bread, or add it with other fresh herbs into a soup or stew.
Dry it in a dehydrator so you can use it in potatoes and soups for months to come.
If you’ve just made your final rosemary harvest before frost, drying is one of the easiest ways to preserve it. Here’s exactly how to dry rosemary from the garden.
Frequently Asked Questions About Harvesting Rosemary
Throughout the growing season once the plant is established and growing well.
Yes. Rosemary can still be harvested after it flowers. Choose healthy stems and harvest them the same way you would during the rest of the growing season.
No. Unless your pot it up and bring it inside.
Depending on how severe your frost it, you may be able to harvest it the next day. But if it was a hard frost, the plant will most likely have died.
Related Harvesting Articles
- How To Harvest and Dry Thyme
- How to Harvest Oregano So It Keeps Growing
- How to Harvest Dill (Without Damaging the Plant)
- How to Harvest Red Clover Flower (and Dry It Properly at Home)
Harvesting Rosemary in Zone 5
Growing rosemary as an annual means our harvesting season is shorter, but it also means there’s no reason to let a healthy plant go to waste when cold weather arrives. Similar to basil, rosemary is a unique herb to grow in Zone 5 or lower. But with the right harvesting practices you can enjoy this aromatic herb all year long.
If you’re learning to harvest and preserve more of what you grow at home, you can explore all of our hands-on advice in our Harvesting & Preserving, based on what actually works here on our homestead.
We are growing our website with more articles all the time, and we invite you to grow with us. If you have any questions about how to harvest rosemary or would like to share some of your knowledge with us please leave a comment below. Happy Gardening!
