How to grow Oregano in the UK
The pizza herb! Comes back every year, and bees adore its flowers.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Grows to40cm
- Spacing30cm
- Time to first pickabout 10 weeks
- Typeperennial
When to sow, plant and harvest oregano
| Sow indoors | early March to late April |
|---|---|
| Plant out | mid April to late June |
| Pick | mid May to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Starting it indoors
- Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
- Push the seeds in (on the surface) - a couple per pot
- Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
- Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
- When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot
Planting it out
- Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 30cm apart each way
Top tips for growing oregano
- Cut it back after flowering and it makes fresh leaves.
Soil and feeding
Poor, free-draining soil - they don't like it too rich. Most herbs like it quite poor and sunny. Too much food makes them floppy and less tasty.
Harvesting and eating oregano
Snip sprigs - the flavour is strongest just before it flowers.
How to eat them: Sprinkle on pizza and pasta sauces.
Storing oregano
Keeps a year, dried.
- Hang small bunches upside down somewhere warm and airy for 1-2 weeks
- Crumble the dry leaves into a jar with a lid
Dried oregano is even stronger than fresh!
Good varieties of oregano
- Greek oregano: The strongest flavour.
- Golden oregano: Golden leaves - pretty at the front of a bed.
Saving your own oregano seed
Autumn or early spring.
- Dig up a big clump
- Pull or cut it into two or three pieces, each with roots and shoots
- Replant them - more plants for free, and the old one grows better too
Where to buy oregano seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Oregano questions
When should I sow oregano in the UK?
In the UK, sow oregano indoors from early March to late April. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When do I plant out oregano?
Plant oregano out from mid April to late June.
When can I pick oregano?
Oregano is ready from mid May to late September. Snip sprigs - the flavour is strongest just before it flowers.
How long do oregano take to grow?
Roughly 10 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are oregano easy to grow?
Oregano are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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