Oregano may be a strong-flavored herb sometimes called oregano (it is closely associated with sweet marjoram). Oregano leaves are used fresh or dried to flavor many cooked foods including tomatoes, sauces, salad dressings, and marinades for grilled meats. the flavor of oregano is pungent, spicy, and sometimes bitter. Oregano is usually utilized in Spanish and Italian cooking.

• Growing season: Summer
• Growing zones: Grow oregano in Zones 5 to 10 as an annual; it prefers hot climates.
• Hardiness: Oregano is immune to heat; some resistant to cold.
• Plant form and size: Upright growth to 2½ feet high and a couple of to three feet wide. Stems arise from a clump of leaves; stems are branching towards the highest. The plant tends to spread by invasive underground stems.
• Flowers: Oregano has inconspicuous white, lavender, pink or purplish-pink flowers with five equal segments. Flowers form clusters at the ends of stems and branches.
• Bloom time: Oregano blooms midsummer to early fall.
• Leaves: Oregano has oval to ovate dark green leaves that come to a blunt point at the tip; leaves are often larger and coarser than those of knotted marjoram.

HOW TO PLANT OREGANO

• Best location: Plant oregano fully sun; it’ll tolerate light shade.
• Soil preparation: Grow oregano in loose, well-drained soil. Oregano prefers a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Oregano can thrive in poor soil that’s well-drained.
• Seed starting indoors: Sow oregano indoors as early as 4 weeks before the typical last frost date. Oregano seed takes 10 to fifteen days to germinate; sow seed at 70°F for optimal germination. Seeds germinate best within the light; cover seeds with cheesecloth until seedlings begin to push up.
• Transplanting to the garden: Transplant seedlings out after the last frost. Oregano is often grown from root divisions taken in fall, overwintered indoors, and began in spring.
• Outdoor planting time: Sow oregano seed within the garden on the typical date of the last frost in spring. The soil temperature should be 45°F or warmer.
• Planting depth: Sow seed ¼ inch deep; thin successful seedlings or set transplants to six inches apart.
• Spacing: Space oregano plants 12 inches apart. Space rows 18 to 24 inches apart.
• How much to plant: Grow 2 to 4 plants for cooking; grow 6 to 12 plants for preserving.
• Companion planting: Oregano grows well with all vegetables and herbs. Oregano flowers attract butterflies and beneficial insects.

HOW TO GROW OREGANO

• Watering: Give oregano regular even water until it’s established. Once established, water oregano sparingly allowing the soil to dry between waterings. Moist soil will cause oregano to be less flavorful.
• Feeding: Foliar feed oregano by spraying with compost tea or liquid seaweed extract 2 to three times during the season
• Mulching: Mulch around oregano with aged compost in weather to stay the roots cool and slow soil moisture evaporation.
• Care: Keep oregano pinched back to induce bushy growth and for best aroma and flavor; flowering will end in a loss of leaf flavor. crop plants nearly to the bottom once or twice within the summer; this may stimulate fresh growth. Divide clumps every three years and replant healthy, rooted segments.
• Container growing: Oregano grows easily in containers. Select a container 6 inches deep. Potted oregano are often grown indoors during a bright, sunny window or under fluorescent lights. Replace container plants every 3 years once they become woody.
• Winter growing: In cold-winter regions, divide plants in fall and over-winter them indoors for re-planting call at spring. If you over-winter plants outdoors cover them with an important mulch of leaves.

TROUBLESHOOTING OREGANO

• Pests: Oregano has no serious pest problems. Aphids and spider mites may attack oregano but they will be sprayed away with a robust stream of water; an outsized infestation is often treated with insecticidal soap.
• Diseases: Oregano grown in wet soil or wet weather may suffer from plant disease or plant disease.

HOW TO HARVEST OREGANO

• When to harvest: Cut fresh leaves as required once plants are 4 to six inches tall. Cut-and-come-again harvesting will renew plants. the flavor of leaves is best before the plant flowers.
• How to Harvest: Snip stems leaves with a garden clipper or scissors.

OREGANO within the KITCHEN

• Flavor and aroma: Oregano features a hot peppery flavor.
• Leaves: Use leaves to flavor tomato sauces, marinated vegetables, roasted peppers, pasta, pizza, and spaghetti. Add oregano to eggs, cheeses, mushrooms, black beans, zucchini, potatoes, and eggplant. Use oregano to flavor roasted and stewed beef, pork, and poultry.
• Culinary companions: Match oregano with parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Oregano pairs well with tomatoes, olives, lemon, and garlic. Add dried oregano at the beginning of cooking.
• When to feature oregano: Given its pungent flavor, dried oregano is employed more frequently during the cooking process, because the flavors are easier to regulate . Add dried oregano at the start of cooking. Fresh oregano is usually used as a garnish or added at the top of cooking.

PRESERVING AND STORING OREGANO

• Refrigeration: Store unwashed leaves within the refrigerator for a couple of days during a sealed bag.
• Drying: Dry leaves for long storage. Dry leaves on a cooking utensil during a barely warm oven for half each day . Or dry leaves by hanging cut stems together the wrong way up during a cool, dry, dark place or during a sack for about 2 weeks.
• Freezing: Freeze leaves in juice or water.

PROPAGATING OREGANO

• Seed: Stratify oregano seeds for one week then sow indoors; germination in about 7 to 14 days.
• Cuttings: Root 5-inch stem cuttings in summer; dip the cut ends of stems during a rooting hormone then set in only moist organic potting soil.
• Division: Divide roots of established plants in spring or autumn and replant. The division is that the best thanks to making sure you get the flavor of the plant you’re already growing; growing from seed are often iffy.

OREGANO VARIETIES TO GROW

When choosing oregano to urge the flavor you would like, taste a small little bit of the leaf or rub a leaf to smell the aroma. Tasty oreganos usually have clusters of white flowers.

• Wild oregano oregano doesn’t have the flavour of other varieties.
• Common oregano, also called Greek oregano: oregano hirtum has the peppery flavor related to oregano. it’s sometimes labeled O. heracleoticum.
• Compact oregano: O. vulgare ‘ var. ‘Compact Nanum’—ground cover just 3 inches tall.
• Golden creeping oregano: O. Vulgare ’Aureum’ is mild flavored.
• Syrian oregano: maru
• Kateri oregano: ‘Kaliteri’ has silver-gray leaves
• Turkestan oregano: O. titanium
• Small-leafed oregano: O. microphyllum
• Dittany of Crete (O. dictamnus) has thick silvery, fuzzy, almost round leaves ¾ inch across. Grows to 12 inches tall. Use fresh or dry leaves for tea or seasoning.

History of Oregano

Native to Eurasia and therefore the Mediterranean, oregano features a long history of use in many cultures. It presumably originated in Greece, where it had been believed that the goddess Aphrodite created it as a logo of joy. The name “oregano” springs from the Greek words oros, “mountain” and ganos, “brightness,” essentially meaning “brightness on the mountain.” it had been next adopted by the Romans who spread the herb throughout Europe and Northern Africa.

Culinary Uses

Americans tend to consider oregano because the perfect partner for tomatoes, and it is, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Fresh oregano straight out of the garden makes an incredible pesto or chimichurri sauce. Minced fine, its a tasty garnish for seafood, especially shellfish. It’s an ideal marinade ingredient for meat, and may impart rich flavor to roasted or confit vegetable. Fresh oregano will add a kick to your salads or soups and may be added to an Italian vinaigrette to drizzle over foods also .

Bear in mind that there are subtle flavor differences amongst the various sorts of oregano (1). Mediterranean oregano (Origanum vulgare) is analogous to Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare hirtum), but Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is from a totally different family . Mexican oregano is within the Verbenaceae , instead of the Labiatae , and while delicious, it enjoys hotter, drier conditions and imparts a special flavor than the Origanums. Marjoram is extremely closely related and therefore the two can substitute for each other . you’ll want to undertake several different varieties to seek out the one that you simply like best. one among the simplest things about oregano leaves is that they keep most of their flavor when dry, so you lose nothing when preserving it by drying.

Medicinal Applications

From early times, oregano was used as a medicinal herb. Ancient Greeks used it as a compress to treat sores and aching muscles, and therefore the Chinese used it to treat diarrhea, fever, and other maladies(2). The strong flavors of the oregano plant come from carvacrol and thymol, which have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties(3) which will help fight illness. Oregano oil is usually used as a topical antiseptic, and studies have even suggested it’s going to fight cancer (4).

Growing Conditions

Considering that this is often a Mediterranean herb named for gracing mountainsides, it’s not hard to imagine that oregano plants are hardy. This makes it well-suited to growing indoors in containers. The cardinal rule of planting oregano indoors is to offer it bright light– the sunniest windowsill within the house, or maybe during a south-facing box planter.

Container and Soil Type

Oregano is acclimated to drier climates, so chasing the proper container and potting soil will make a difference in how well your plant performs as an inside herb. First of all, you would like to form sure that your container is an adequate size. A 6-inch pot will do, but a healthy oregano plant will quickly outgrow a pot that tiny. Consider a pot no smaller than eight inches, with drainage holes. earthenware pots with drainage trays are excellent for providing good drainage.

A cactus potting mix or a light-weight , airy fast-draining is superb for oregano. you’ll also mix your own soil employing a one part potting soil to at least one part coarse sand or equal parts soil and decomposed granite. For extra drainage, add perlite or sphagnum .

Light Requirements

Oregano likes it hot and bright, so if there’s not a spot in your home that receives six hours of sun per day year-round, you’ll need to supplement with fluorescent light or grow light. When using artificial light, set it up in order that the sunshine is about six inches above the plant and is on a timer set to 12 hours each day, to make sure your plant gets enough light. If you’ve got a patio, you’ll always put your oregano plant outdoors fully sun within the summertime. However, unlike herbs indoors, you’ll want to stay an in-depth watch to form sure there are not any aphids or other pests on your plants when it’s outside

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oregano on window sillThe biggest think about growing healthy oregano indoors is a large amount of light! Whether it comes from the sun on a window sill or from artificial lights, confirm your plants get many light.

Germination and Temperature

Most folks will choose to buy an already-established plant and transplant it into a pot of their choice. You can also take cuttings from a mature plant by trimming a few stems, dipping the cut ends in rooting hormone, and planting in moist soil. This is the one time you will want to keep an oregano plant continuously moist for a few weeks until it has begun to set roots. However, if you want to plant oregano from seed, it will take a little longer but is quite simple and gives you access to more varieties.

Oregano seeds are very tiny, so then you sow them on the surface of a pot or seed tray filled with potting soil, there is no need to cover them up with soil. Just mist them with water and then cover the pot or tray with cling wrap or plastic and place the pot in a well-lit window to germinate. Within a week to ten days, you should see sprouts coming up. After a couple of weeks, pull out all but the healthiest few you want to keep.

Once your plants are several inches tall and have multiple sets of leaves, they’re ready to transplant. Take care not to damage any roots when transplanting baby plants from one pot to another. If you decide to plant oregano in a pot with other herbs, choose companion plants that have similar requirements, such as thyme, marjoram, and sage. 

Basic Care

Oregano is undemanding and very drought resistant. You should only water when the soil surface is completely dry. You can fertilize occasionally, but it is generally unnecessary. If your oregano seems a little slow to put out new growth, you can treat it with a top dressing of compost, a little fish emulsion, or a dash of 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

To encourage dense, bushy growth, prune your plant on a regular basis. Don’t do this to young plants until they are at least four inches tall. If you are harvesting to have fresh herbs regularly, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Harvesting and Preserving

Harvesting oregano is easy, you only have to wait until your plant is at least four inches tall. When your plant is young, you can pinch the young, green leaves, trimming off sprigs with your fingernails. As your oregano plant gets larger and woodier, you’ll probably want to use scissors to harvest stems. Whenever you pinch or cut, be sure to do it just above a leaf node to encourage growth. The more you harvest, the bushier the plant will be. 

You can allow your plant to trail over the edges of its pot, or you can harvest frequently to control it. The flavor of the leaves is at its best before the plant flowers, so always try to do a big harvest when you see buds forming. 

You can cut up to 2/3 of the plant at one time without causing any damage. When you do this and end up with an overabundance of fresh oregano, it’s the perfect time to save some for later by drying or using any number of less common preservation practices. To separate the leaves from the woody stems, just hold the cut end of a sprig between your fingers and using the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, strip the leaves off in one quick motion.