Oregano - A Flavorful Herb That's Easy To Grow
How and Why to Grow Oregano
Oregano is an excellent herb to grow and use in your cooking. With a robust flavor it's the backbone of most Italian dishes.
This hardy herb grows easily and makes a delicious addition to your vegetable or herb garden.
Best of all, oregano is a hardy perennial so plant once and it will provide you fresh bold flavor year after year.
Oregano rocks!
Photo by Michael Lehet and used under Creative Commons
Growing Oregano
How and Where to Plant Oregano
Oregano is not a fussy plant. It will be happy and grow well in a sunny location with decent soil. Other than giving it some water when really dry, you basically plant it and forget it.
Oregano plants can be found at your local nursery or garden center. They can also be grown from seed, but I haven't tried that. It does well in a garden or container. Simply dig a hole slightly bigger than the plant's root ball, place it in the hole, fill with soil, water and you're done.
We used to plant oregano in a container each year (I didn't know then that it's perennial). Now I know better and it's growing in the garden so I won't have to plant it again.
Oregano After 1 Year
The picture above is what the oregano looked like after 1 year in my garden. That started out as one little plant the spring before. It survived freezing temperatures and several feet of snow over the winter.
Seven years later, it still grows like crazy and provides us plenty of fresh oregano every year. So much that we can also harvest a good bit to dry for use over the winter.
Why Grow Your Own Oregano?
Fresh oregano is delicious and will add more flavor to your meals than the dried oregano found in stores. The easiest (and cheapest) way to have fresh oregano to use in your cooking is to grow it.
A pack of organic oregano at my local grocery store cost $2.49 recently...for less than an ounce! It costs less to buy and grow an oregano plant that will provide you fresh oregano for years instead.
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Food For Thought
What do you think of Oregano? What's your favorite dish with oregano? Please leave a comment below.
Your Turn...
ShamanicShift on January 28, 2011:
It is a blessing in the kitchen and garden -- blessed by a SquidAngel!
chrissuard lm on November 19, 2010:
I love Oregano, my mother is always using it in dishes. Delicious!
