Most herbs and salads are ready for harvesting within 4-7 weeks, but sprouting and growth time depend on room temperature, and the warmer it is, the faster they'll grow. The optimal temperature is 20-26 degrees. If it’s 19 degrees or colder, they can grow very slowly.


Check out this video, or read the article below to learn more about how to harvest your plants:

 

Trim regularly from the top (pruning):

Most herbs (such as basil, oregano, mint, dill, rosemary, and thyme) can be trimmed from the top. For the best results, cut the plant right above the nodes where new leaves grow out:

Plants photosynthesize in their leaves, so if you cut off some leaves at the top, new leaves will continue to grow. You should avoid cutting off too much of the plant at once, as this may cause the plant to die. We recommend 1/3 of the plant at a time and always leaving at least one pair of leaves. 


Some plants should be trimmed from the bottom:

To encourage new growth in herbs like parsley and cilantro, you should trim them from the bottom. Cut whole stems above the roots, but don't take more than 1/3 of the plant at once.

The lower leaves will get more light, and new stems and leaves will grow.


Salads like arugula and romaine can be harvested by cutting off the large, outermost leaves:

Salads like arugula and romaine thrive in Auk. These are more difficult to keep alive for a long time, but if you always harvest the outer leaves, you get a salad that lasts for a few generations.

Be careful not to cut off the innermost leaves, as they will ensure that you get new growth.


Do you need to thin out your plants?

If a pot gets crowded as plants grow bigger, you can thin it out by cutting off whole stems, even on plants that you’d normally harvest from the top.

Do some plants steal a lot of light? Trim them to make sure the lower ones get more light.

Every plant needs light to grow. If some of the plants are overshadowing others and taking a lot of light, it may be wise to trim them. The plants grow at variable speeds – arugula and parsley typically grow quickly and tend to overshadow the others. Here is an example:

Here, the basil is in the shade, so it grows more slowly.

 

Trim your plants to prevent them from blooming

It's essential that you harvest the herbs before they start blooming. When herbs bloom, they enter a new phase where the taste can get bad. Auk provides both light and nutrients that slow down blooming, but it can't stop it completely; you must do that with continuous trimming. 

If you harvest continuously and make sure to trim the herbs before they bloom, you will have a happy plant that keeps giving you new leaves :)