Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Italian Oregano is a perennial herb that is not only desired for its culinary uses. This variety can reach up to 2 feet high and 18 inches wide, producing foliage continuously until temperatures drop. In the fall when temperatures cool, Italian Oregano begins to bloom pink flowers before going to seed and overwintering. The small greenish-blue leaves have a pungent and herbal scent and the stalks will become woody with age.
Italian Oregano is best known for its uses in Italian dishes & flavors like pizza and pasta sauces. Use freshly harvested sprigs as an aromatic or dry the leaves and grind to use as a spice. Try your hand at fresh spaghetti sauce using Beefsteak Tomatoes and Genovese Basil – you’ll never want store-bought again!
NAME: Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
VARIETY: Italian
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Perennial
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun / Partial Shade
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 11
DAYS TO MATURITY: 40 – 45
PLANT HEIGHT: 12 – 24 inches
SPACING: 10 – 18 inches apart
TEMP: 50 – 95°F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last local spring frost.
Sow roughly 5 seeds in each cell tray plug or small pots with seed starting soil mix, cover the seeds with a light dusting of soil.
Soils must remain above 70°F for germination to occur, so use a heating mat under the trays or pots if necessary.
Once seedlings emerge, provide ample natural sunlight or supplement with grow lights placed 5 inches above the seedlings that are on for 14 hours, off for 10 hours.
Remove all but 1 seedling per cell plug or pot once they get to be 1/2 inch tall.
Allow them to grow indoors until all threat of spring frost has passed.
Before transplanting outdoors, harden off seedlings for several days. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night (Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process).
Once all danger of spring frost has passed, you can direct sow seed into average, well-draining soil, preferably located in full sun.
Sow a small pinch of seeds together where you wish the Italian Oregano to grow, and space these pinches of seed 14 inches apart from each other.
Cover the seeds with a light dusting of soil, tamper the soil down and water in well.
Seedlings should germinate in about 20 days as long as the moisture and temperature levels are consistent.
To avoid overcrowding, remove all but 2 or 3 seedings per ‘patch’ that you sowed once they get to be 1 inch tall.
Ideally, work some compost into the top couple inches of your soil and remove all rocks and large debris before sowing.
Once established, Italian Oregano prefers drier soils, so wait several days between watering cycles.
Oregano actually has the most flavorful taste if left alone, with minimal watering and no fertilization; for the best tasting leaves, keep the tops pruned to prevent flowering and to keep the leaves tender.
To propagate more plants, wait until early spring to divide the plants in half and transplant elsewhere.
Use fresh sprigs as an aromatic in pasta sauces or soups, or dry the leaves and use as a spice.
Make your own Italian spice blend this gardening season by growing & drying oregano, basil, parsley, thyme and rosemary.
The best time for harvesting leaves is in the morning after the dew has dried; harvest entire stalks by cutting them at least 1 inch above the ground to allow for new growth.
Italian Oregano leaves can be harvested as needed once the plants have reached a height of 4-6 inches.
Snip off the outer leaves with clean scissors or pruners, leaving the inner leaves to continue growing.
For larger harvests, cut back the entire plant by one-third to one-half its height, leaving some foliage intact to allow for regrowth.
Harvested leaves can be used fresh or dried for later use in cooking or herbal teas.
Unlike other herbs, dried oregano leaves tend to have a much stronger flavor than fresh ones.
