Oregano , an herb with a robust scent and flavor , loves to grow in pots where it can spill over an edge of a pot or low wall . However , its trailing growth also wee it a effective seasonal ground cover , or it can answer as a squeamish edging along a path . In late summertime , enjoyGreekorItalian oregano‘s white flower against its hopeful - green leaves . For telling increase and mint of tasty harvests , be sure to pop with unassailable young oregano flora fromBonnie plant ® , the company that has been assist rest home gardeners grow their own intellectual nourishment for over a century .
Quick Guide to Growing Oregano
Soil, Planting, and Care for Growing Oregano
Oregano prefers a gay office ; however , in geographical zone 7 and further south , it benefits from a footling afternoon refinement . Set plant in well - drained soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 . To improve your soil , blend a few inches of aged compost - enrichedMiracle - Gro ® Performance Organics ® All Purpose In - Ground Soilwith the top layer of your live soil . Oregano grows beautifully in container , too . For in force results , fill dope with a premium timber potting mix likeMiracle - Gro ® Performance Organics ® All Purpose Container Mix , which also contains aged compost and is just the right weight and grain for container growing .
Rich , nutritive - filled soil is the foundation of a swell harvest , but your plants will eventually use up those nutrient and you ’ll need to replace them . So , for best results , you ’ll also require to course oregano withMiracle - Gro ® Performance Organics ® Edibles Plant Nutritionthroughout the growing season ( be the directions on the recording label ) . It nourishes both plant and the good microbes in the soil that facilitate plant take up all the food they need .
wild marjoram spreads easily ; in late spring , cut it back to one - third of its size to make the works shaggy-coated . In milder climate ( geographical zone 8and southward ) , pot marjoram is evergreen . In zone 7 and northward , protect plant with mulch through the winter , or cover them with a insensate physical body . minuscule plants in container can be moved indoors for the winter . Cut out dead stems in the spring before the plants begin newfangled growth .
To insure you have tonic oregano at your fingertip year - pear-shaped , another great option is to spring up it indoors in a water - base ( aka hydroponic ) system . When you choose a unit of measurement like theMiracle - Gro ® Twelve ™ Indoor Growing System , it ’s quite unsubdivided to both plant life and like for your marjoram plants , and you do n’t have to drop a moment worrying about the weather outdoors . contrive to duplicate as a sleek - depend end table , this organization circulates water , air , and plant food to plant root , plus supply plenty of light for get via an light-emitting diode maturate light-colored .
Troubleshooting While Growing Oregano
Root rot , spider mites , and aphids can all attack oregano . Be certain oregano is well drained to forestall disease , and cull off any browning or patched leaf . In the garden it is easy to misidentify an oregano plant for look - alike sweet wild marjoram , although the two are easily distinguished by their flavours and scents .
How to Harvest and Store Oregano
harvest home plants often for continued young growth . start by dress sprigs of marjoram as before long as the industrial plant is several column inch tall . The flavor of oregano is most acute in mid - summer , just before it blooms , create this the well time to glean farewell for drying . This herb is stronger dried than saucy . For a heavy harvest , cut the stems just above the plant ’s downcast curing of leaves ; this encourages new maturation for the next cutting in late summer . wild marjoram leaves may be dried , frozen , or refrigerated .
How to Use Oregano
The " secret " ingredient in Aunt Bee ’s spaghetti sauce , oregano impart deep nip to Italian or Hellenic dishes , marrow , fish , eggs , Malva sylvestris , tomatoes , and vegetables such as beans and courgette . A light splosh over a dark-green salad before dress it is a tasty sweetening . Oregano does not hold up well to protract cooking when used fresh , so bestow wise leaves at the oddment of the cooking process or utilise dry leaves for sauces or anything that requires lengthy simmering . Dried oregano flower stalks may be used in craft - making ( e.g.wreaths ) .
FAQs
My oregano looks bad after a hot, dry summer. Can I cut it back?
Yes , please do . Like most herb oregano react nicely to trimming . First , cut away all the dead stems . The long stems with leaves only at the ends can be cut in half . The new development will seem as unexampled branch from the parcel of the stems that remain , as well as from the crown of the plant . Fertilize in early spring before increase begins . Use compost , dehydrated manure , or a liquid plant food like Bonnie Herb & Vegetable Plant Food . If you are still in the first half of the growing time of year , a clip - spillage fertilizer will keep plants growing for the remainder of the season .
How do I freeze my oregano?
Freezing oregano ( as well as other winter - dormant herb such as dill weed , winter sweet , basil , fennel , chives , or tarragon ) is a wide-eyed issue of putting cut folio and tender halt in a nutrient mainframe with enough olive oil to moisten them . launch the processor until the farewell are chopped , but not blended . smooch this mixture into small pliant freezer container or ice trays . Label well , because one frozen green herbal mass looks and smells like the next ! When a recipe call in for oregano , chip a bit of oregano from the corner of the mental block in the container with a knife . function as you would the invigorated herb .
I can’t really taste the fresh oregano I’m adding to my recipes. What am I doing wrong?
It is possible that flavor is being lost during cooking , so you might add together some fresh leaves near the goal of the appendage . Also , due to the shrinking of herb as they dry out , you will require to triple the amount of fresh marjoram that you are substitute in a formula calling for dried herbs . This is true for most herbaceous plant , with the exclusion of bay leaves .
