Once the plant is a decent size you simply harvest a few stems at a time, leaving the rest of the plant to continue growing. For basil it's a good idea to trim several stems at a time to encourage branching. You can put the stems in water in the frig to keep the leaves fresh longer. Same with rosemary and thyme. Do not use the stems for cooking; just strip off the leaves.
Last edited by Prism99; 05-07-2013 at 07:07 PM.