Slicing lemon balm »This is how you do it right

Cutting for the harvest - that's what matters with lemon balm

Lemon balm is one of the particularly vigorous herbal plants. Lovingly cared for, it delivers up to 4 harvests per season. How to handle it right:

• Always cut the branches back to a height of 10 centimeters just before flowering
• take action in the early hours of the morning when the dew has evaporated
• always use freshly sharpened, meticulously disinfected tools

Knowledgeable hobby gardeners immediately conserve an excess harvest by drying, freezing or soaking. This way, lemon balm will last for up to 12 months durableto serve as an ingredient in refreshing drinks, hot or cold dishes. In addition, the leaves find multiple use in nature-loving medicine.

Autumn pruning of lemon balm - this is how it works

If Godmother Frost knocks on the garden door, the lemon balm pulls back into its hardy rhizome. The branches, flowers and leaves have done their job for this year. You can choose to cut back the shoots before or after winter.

If you feel disturbed by the withered look, you can cut back close to the ground before the first frost. Otherwise, the twigs remain on the plant as additional winter protection until shortly before the next shoot.

Harvest seeds before cutting

Foresighted hobby gardeners secure a supply in good time before pruning in autumn Seeds for propagation. The seeds are in the brown fruits. These are picked before they burst open and scatter the seeds to the wind. Stored dry and cool, sow the next generation of vital lemon balm indoors from March.

Alternatively, take the sowing in the warm autumn soil. This has the advantage that particularly robust seedlings grow from the seeds.

Tips & Tricks

Is it with a heavy heart that you forego the refreshing lemon balm indulgence during the winter? Then simply cultivate the aromatic lemon herb as a Houseplant. You can harvest the delicate leaves all year round on the sunny windowsill or in the partially shaded corner.

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