A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Herbs Oregano

Mine that I overwintered inside is going great guns. I want to plant it outside in a planter come nice weather. What do I need to do to insure that it survives. I've never had any luck growing it from seed so now that I have one I want to keep it. Any help will be appreciated.

Is there a reason that you want to plant oregano in a planter rather than the ground? Woody perennial herbs are best planted in the ground if your goal is to keep them long term. Before moving any of your indoor herbs outside they will need to be hardened off.

The reason for the planter is a lack of space and because I'll be moving sometime. Althought the time frame keeps getting moved back.

If possible keep the oregano in the pot it is in, harden it off then keep it outside. If you have the room you can sink the pot in the ground. Keep watch over the moisture content of the soil. Oregano likes it on the dry side. Let the soil dry a few inches down between waterings.

With a move in your future its best to keep your oregano in its current home rather then transfer it to another planter then have to re-pot it again for a move. That's a lot of stress on the root system.

Due to the neighborhood I live in I can't leave moveable pots outdoors. So that being the case I did transplant it. At first it wasn't to terribly happy. Then I sprinkled the fireplace ash on it. And I wish I had a camera. That stuff must be magic. I have the healthiest oregano I could possible ask for. In fact everything in the planters is thriving to the point that the basket looks over crowded. That's a problem that I have never had before but I'm loving it.

As soon as I have a couple of big containers I'm going to go get another bunch of ash and sift it as mentioned in another post. I definitely won't do without it in future.

Can anyone tell me when this is suppose to flower? I'm looking to harvest seeds but I haven't seen anything approaching a bud.