Stevia Harvesting and Winter Care

I have been a repeat customer for many years. Richters is a great source on information and I read the catalog all year long.
On stevia, last spring I ordered and similarly planted two stevia plants. One just stayed as it arrived....did not grow and was lost in a few weeks. The other is now a healthy almost 4 feet tall bush...I have grown stevia in the past and have never seen one grow like this! As yet, it has not blossomed and is full of the sweet leaves.

Since our plants are seed grown, they vary. One of the two plants liked your conditions and grew like topsy, while the other one did not like it at all and died.

How do I preserve those sweet leaves for use?

Pick off the leaves from stems trimmed from the plant and dry them in a shady warm area. Crumble the leaves when dry and use the powder.

These plants were planted in pots. I plan to bring it inside for the winter and see if it will last till spring.

Stevia is hard to get through the winter. Keep the plants barely moist in a cool place and pray!