How to grow Oregano

Origanum vulgare · wild marjoram

A hardy perennial herb with aromatic leaves used fresh or dried in cooking. It likes a sunny spot and well-drained soil and is drought tolerant once established.

Quick facts

Type	Herb
Family	Lamiaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–8
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	10 days
Seedlings ready	50 days
Sowing to harvest	85 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 9 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 85 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	18…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 5 days	—	—
Flowering	every 5 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	18…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	18…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 5 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 5 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun gives the best flavour; it also grows in partial shade.

Soil

Well-drained, not too rich soil, pH 6–8. In heavy, wet soil the roots rot; rich soil makes the leaves less pungent.

Care

Sow on the surface without covering, as the seed needs light. Water new plants in dry spells; once established, let the soil dry out between waterings. Plants in the ground need no feeding; pot-grown plants get a general feed in late spring. Cut shoots regularly to keep plants bushy; the leaves taste best just before the flowers open. Replace plants every 3–4 years when they turn woody.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.