Using Rosemary barely even qualifies as 'harvesting'. You just snip off the amount you want. With larger outdoor bushes you can remove branches and keep them in the kitchen. I use it that way. Indeed, on large bushes you need to cut it back to keep it in shape.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Pruning any plant will usually stimulate new growth. While it never hurts to cut the odd sprig from your rosemary from time to time, in fall your plant will be trying to go dormant. What with the cooler temps that you should provide (45-50 degrees) and the lower level of light that comes with winter - though you should put it in the brightest exposure possible - this is not a good time to cut much. It is best to wait until spring when new growth has resumed naturally before you prune a lot. Do your heavier pruning in midsummer while the plant still has a lot of time to grow back.

Also, the needle-like leaves of rosemary do not break down much when cooked in a sauce, soup, etc., some people object to the whole leaves in the final product. If I have a reason to dry the leaves, I have found it helpful to strip the fresh leaves from the stalks, finely chop the leaves, and simply spread them on some paper towel in a dry, warm, dark place.. I realize that as a general rule it is better to leave herb leaves whole and not crush them until you actually are adding them to your food, but rosemary is a strongly-flavored herb & I find this technique works just fine with little or no loss of flavor.

I've tried crushing the dry needles in a good mortar & pestle, but while ther fragrance is great that doesn't really work so well in my experience as they are so tough.

BTW, once the stalks are stripped and dried, they are great to add to a fireplace or BBQ grill. Wonderful aroma as they burn, reminding me of walking along the side streets of the Grand Place in Brussels where there are so many wonderful restaurants!

I would respectfully challenge much of that advice. Healthy, robust outdoor Rosemary can be harvested all year round and doesn't need such high temperatures in winter. It's perfectly happy just above freezing and can take temps a few degrees below 32 for a while. I don't bother with sprigs. I use branches of rosemary whole and then you can remove the whole piece if you don't want to see it on your plate. For example, with roast lamb I'd put at least four or five eight inch lengths around the joint. Or a couple of branched pieces the size of my hand. On the barbecue I'd put a bundle of pieces a foot long with their needles. I've never found an amount which I'd deem too much.

I cut branches and just keep them in the kitchen. They dry gradually but I don't do anything specific to hasten the process.

I would remind our gardening friends across the pond that they are fortunate to live in a climate in which rosemary survives year-round. Here in the colonies, we are not so blessed, and in much of the U.S. rosemary absolutely will not survive the winter, even with protection. Twenty to thirty degrees below 0 Celsius is not uncommon in central Ohio where I live. Most of us living north of the Mason-Dixon Line deal not only with severe cold but extreme temperature swings. This results in repeated freeze-thaw cycles, often heaving perennials from the ground. Needless to say, rosemary will not survive this!

Just last week, I roasted lamb and also laid the meat on a bed of fresh branches from my large pot of overwintering-indoors rosemary (along with some thyme). I agree - one never can have too much when using it this way. And yes, putting a branch of rosemary whole into a pot of spaghetti sauce, stew, soup, etc., and then simply removing the entire branch before serving is an obvious option. I just was suggesting that, if a cook wants to leave it in yet is put off by whole rosemary leaves in the dish, I have found that chopping prior to drying does not affect the potency of the herb. (Thyme sprigs added to a dish shed the leaves and one may remove the bare stems before serving.)

True, a sprig or branch of rosemary dries perfectly fine indoors with no particular care; doesn't need to be hung upside-down as is the usual or traditional technique with so many herbs one wishes to dry. But I think a dark, dry attic or similar area is preferable for drying most herbs rather than a kitchen, where daily cooking tends to add moisture to the air and slows the drying process. From time to time, however, when I have gathered a bit more of thyme or rosemary then I needed immediately, both of these seem to dry happily in my kitchen just resting on a sheet of paper towel.

Since we have no idea where the OP is located, we have no idea if the rosemary will be winter hardy either. Or even need to be brought inside. There are several varieties that have been bred for increased cold hardiness and are rated to zone 6 in the ground. And like most other herbs grown in temperate climates, it is not a houseplant and will struggle under typical indoor conditions, so I'd encourage growers of rosemary to leave their plants in place outside in winter if at all possible.

It also does not go fully dormant in winter. Like other BLE's it will continue to photosynthesize through winter and actually has a late winter bloom season - my own plant is covered in flower buds as I type! Pruning or harvesting whenever one wants is really not an issue!

My rosemary stays outside all year and grows abundantly throughout the winter. I planted it as a mosquito repellent, but I don't know whether it actually works for that or not. Here in Los Angeles, I often find rosemary growing in the pavement of parking lots. Of all the herbs I can think of, it is the most like a weed - much more so than mint - at least in my back yard. I very seldom cook with it, as I find that a little goes a long way, but sometimes I add sprigs to the inside of a chicken that I am roasting.

Here's mine, planted in the ground behind the blue pot (which is empty):

Rosemary is used around here as a landscape bush, so there is no problem finding it!

I do, however find sometimes that I pick too much of it and other herbs and like to make an herb blend to shake on this and that.

The French people who owned the house before us really seemed to love hooks for some reason (Is that a French thing?) and there are herbs drying on hooks all over the kitchen! LOL. When I get enough I zip them up in my herb zipper (similar to a coffee grinder) Dry them on a paper towel if needed for a few days ad YAY! I've got an herb blend!

I always make up a shaker of this for our cabin at the river so we have something fresh and yummy for BBQing which is what we mostly do during the summer. Other herbs/spices etc don't last the winter in the shed and it's a waste of $ to replace them each year!