Hey thanks, just growing basil for fresh leaves this year because I have so much dried from lst year, but topping the plant has worked pretty well so far. One of my favorite spring time snacks is a tomato sandwich with fresh basil leaves, mayo and pepper. Delicious, especially when out of the garden. Apparently herbs are great for beginners because they're tolerant of so much more abuse. My garden is testament to this, I was lucky to have any tomatoes last year. Hoping to apply lessons learned and do a little better this year.