I have a catnip plant that is growing very nicely, so I want to know when do I harvest it? I guess I mean when I can cut the stems, leaves off. I am new to growing any kind of herbs, so I really don't know what I should do. Any ideas would be great. Thank you again. Karen S. in NC

-- Karen S. (KSaun54653@aol.com), June 21, 2001

Answers

I generally cut my herbs while still young. Most recommend harvesting them before they flower. If yours have already flowered, just cut them back and they will usually regrow. I usually harvest them as soon as the dew has burned off. I dried some herbs last year in the microwave with good results. Hope this helped. jean

-- jean from Ky (dandrea@duo-county.com), June 21, 2001.

jean is correct. however, i never do anything right. i have harvested in the fall after the blooms are done and it has gone to seed if i need to. (with any herbs) there is an ideal time to do everything with herbs, but somehow i always seem to miss the ideal time for myself (and i'm an herbalist....go figure). but still the things you harvest out of season will work....just maybe not be as strong. still, i always take the attitude that i'd rather have it at the wrong time and have it be local from my land and its influence than buy it harvested at the right time from out of state. i hope as you do this, you can manage to do it at the right times..you'll be happier with the results!!! still, don't necessarily let something go to waste if you need it but it is the wrong time and just sitting there in your yard.

-- marcee king (thathope@mwt.net), June 21, 2001.

Hi Karen Don't worry, it's really not that hard. Are you growing the catnip for cats or for humans? You can pinch off a leaf or two for your kitties pretty much any time you want. The best time to cut the stems is anytime before it blooms. The great thing is that wherever you cut a stem, one or two more stems will grow out of the cut. Depending on how big your plant is, you could cut a stem every week and do that pretty much all summer long.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), June 21, 2001.

Karen..all of the above...aand when you get done harvesting and want more plants?....cut a few flower tops and shake them over where you want plants next season...I found this out when I threw out tops...annnd ended up with a bumper crop? Catnip is a very wersatile herb for cats and humans.

-- Rose H. (WoodsiGrl@hotmail.com), June 21, 2001.

Supposedly the "oils" in the plants are most concentrated in the morning and the evening -- the day's heat dissipates them or something. But you would want to collect them right after the dew dries off (morning) or before it falls (evening). If you gather them damp, there is more likelihood that you'll get mold.

Those are generalities. With catnip, I've done it almost every way imaginable, and not had it spoil. Of course, if it was damp, I made sure it got dried off quickly. A light fan breeze just until the dew was gone would work. I've dried mine spread out on screens or loosely in shallow cardboard boxes, usually on the top shelves of a dark dry closet. It doesn't take long for them to dry. As soon as the leaves are "crispy", you can strip them from the stems and store them. If you're keeping the stems too, I'd give them another day or so.

I usually sit down with a large container of them when there's something on TV that I want to watch. I then strip off the leaves into one paper bag and the stems into another (or some other container). I save the leaves in glass jars. I've used mayonnaise type jars (like mason jars, but probably not sturdy enough to stand up to canning), and just back them tightly and put on a lid. They keep really well, for at least 2-3 years, probably longer. The stripped stems go to the cats to play with for awhile, or out onto the compost if there are too many.

Catnip is in the mint family, which have square stems. Coleus and lemon balm are too. All of these plants can be "pinched" back to right above a lower leaf node. Usually there are a couple of little sprouts there at the lower leaves. If you pinch just above, you'll make the plant branch more and get bushier, and it doesn't hurt the plant at all.

As far as I can tell, catnip will grow in a lots of different soils and conditions. It's shade tolerant -- I think it even LIKES it a little shady. I does "volunteer" all over the yard, if you let any go to seed. Doesn't NEED fertilizer, but certainly seems to like it - - the best I ever had was a bunch of volunteers growing around a compost bin.

When harvesting, cut the stem just above the small rosette of new growth at the base of the plant, and the plant will come back next year. I don't think they live more than a few years, but will self seed easily, if allowed to, as I noted above.

Hope this wasn't more than you wanted to know!

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), June 21, 2001.