Herbs remain the most rewarding plants to grow in a pot for me and oregano is so exotic in my mind, that it made this experience even more special.
It is easy to grow oregano in a pot, it’s roots are small and they are thriving even in a tiny pot. I grew it both from seeds and shoots, both options work perfectly.
I did not fertilize my oregano, and it took just as much nutrients as it needed from the soil only. But a good potting soil is the best to go with; mine already contained NPK nutrients and perlite for good aeration and drainage.
It took me 60 days from sprouting the seed until I could eat the first leaf. After 60 days it branches very fast and in another 30 days you will have a beautiful bush. Here is the time-laps of the growth with details in the description of the pictures:
As any other herb though, it does have its trickiness. So besides the time-laps and knowing what you can expect, in this post I will talk about the three points that you need to pay extra attention to.
1. Water the sprouts incredibly carefully
The most challenging part about growing oregano from seeds is to make the sprout survive the watering. The sprouts are really frail and any water from above will damage and kill them. You can water carefully around, but I found that the best method to protect the tiny sprouts is to have them watered through soaking from below. This won’t damage them, but you also need to be careful to water it less, since they don’t like too much humidity for too long.
2. Don’t give too much water, but let it have as much sun as possible
Apparently its name means “mountain joy”, since you can see these plants in the arid parts of the mountain and growing in the sun in harsh conditions with very little water. So, despite the moodiness it has as a tiny sprout, once you manage to establish the plant, it grows even if you forget to water it. Careful though! Harsh condition doesn’t mean lots of humidity and lots of water! Don’t over-water your oregano!
Full sun is perfect for it, so it survives even in temperatures over 40 C! But it does need a bit more watering than in general, especially if you have a well draining soil (which it even prefers).
3. Don’t forget to prune your oregano
This is more of a good practice, than a tricky part. As any herbs, bolting means reaching the end of their life. Don’t let your herbs flower, prune the plant continuously and eat them fresh. This won’t only give you fresh, wonderful herbs on your pizza and salads and lots of antioxidants, but will also help the plant stay young.
