Take off the tops of each branch. Break the stems right above a new node of
leaves below the tops. The more tops you remove, the more branching will
occur, thus giving you a bushier, more productive plant. Break the flower
heads right off if you want to keep harvesting through the summer. If you
want seeds for next year and you don't want the plant to keep producing more
leaves, then leave the flowers and let it go to seed. It will stop growing
and produce flowers that will dry out and give you seeds inside brown pods.
They are tiny black seeds. I usually keep taking off the tops of branches
and keep it growing until the end of summer. When I've had enough, I let
the flowers go and turn brown. You can then take the whole plant and cut it
at the bottom. You can hang it upside down over a shower rod by string and
let it dry completely. Crumble off the leaves and put them in a glass jar
with a tight lid or a ziploc bag. You can also freeze basil by washing the
leaves and keeping it wet, put it into a large freezer bag in layers. Draw
out the air with a straw and seal it very tight. When you need it for a
recipe, just crumble the basil inside the bag and sprinkle it into what you
want.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"FOW" wrote in message
news
I have some Italian ( green ) basil that I planted in a large pot.It is
now
looking ready to pick, starting to flower.
Can I just pick the top off and some large leaves? Or should I just pull
the
whole plant ?