Oregano
Origanum vulgare
Lamiaceae · mint family
- Matures
- 80–90 days
- Harvest
- Continuous · Perennial
- Sun
- 6–8+ hrs
- Spacing
- 12–18 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 12–18 in
- Between rows
- 12–18 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Low mound
- Mature height
- 1–3 ft
Low and self-supporting — no staking needed.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Direct-sow
Sown straight into the bed it will grow in.
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 68°F
- Sow depth
- 0–0.125 in
- Time to emerge
- 7–21 days
Germinates between 60–75°F; happiest around 68°F.
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
Our sources document no specific pests or diseases for this crop; it's generally grown without major pest trouble in home gardens.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, Marin Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight, inRowSpacing, rowSpacing, startMethod · UC Marin MG Oregano grow sheet (coastal Bay Area): 'Plant in spring, summer, or fall' (set-out season) and 'Plant in full sun from seed (12 inches apart), cutting, or division' (sunlight full-sun; inRowSpacing 12 floor). Oregano (Origanum) is a Mediterranean perennial subshrub that dislikes constant fog/damp, so — like thyme and sage — the foggy month map is narrower (peak-summer fog = maybe) and prefers the warm/sunny microclimate; wet-winter months = no. Month-level split inferred from the set-out season, not month-sourced. Between-row spacing is taken equal to the in-row figure: this crop is spaced about equally in all directions and the source gives a single spacing, not a distinct row width. Start method: UC Marin MG oregano: 'Plant in full sun from seed (12 inches apart), cutting, or division. Oregano seeds take about 10 days to sprout at soil temperature of 70 degrees.' Seed is sown in place; cuttings and divisions are the transplant route, so no under-cover lead time applies.
- UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM)backs plantingWindow, sunlight, inRowSpacing · UC Statewide IPM 'Cultural Tips for Growing Oregano': 'Plant seeds or transplants in ground when the risk of spring frost has passed' with regional windows roughly March-June (warm-season set-out, corroborates window). 'Oregano grows best if the plant receives full sun to partial shade (at least 4 to 6 hours a day)' (sunlight; 4-6 = maybe floor, full sun 6-8/8+ = yes). 'Space plants at least 18 inches apart to accommodate their full size' (inRowSpacing ceiling 18).
- Johnny's Selected Seedsbacks daysToMaturity · Greek Oregano (Origanum) product spec from a horticulture-staffed seed house: '80 - 90 days' to maturity (daysToMaturity). Perennial caveat: harvest lightly the first season, fuller in year two, so treat 80-90 as an approximate first-harvest window. Only clean numeric days-to-maturity found from a reputable source.
- NC State Extension — Plant Toolboxbacks soilDepth, lifecycle, harvestStyle, growthHabit · Origanum vulgare entry: 'low, mat-forming plant' with a 'Cascading, Horizontal, Spreading' habit -> a shallow-rooted spreading subshrub, so all depth bands 6-10 through 18-24 = yes (soilDepth), same treatment as thyme. No numeric rooting depth exists; sharp drainage, not depth, is the constraint. Non-CA extension, agronomy only. Habit and harvest: perennial, continuous — a mat-forming perennial subshrub whose leaves are cut repeatedly through the season. growthHabit: Habit/Form 'Cascading, Horizontal, Multi-stemmed, Spreading' (a low, mat-forming/spreading subshrub, no support) -> low-mound; Height '1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.' -> 12-36 in (the taller figure is the summer flower stalks above a low foliage mat).
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)backs germination, plantingDepth · RHS oregano: germinate well ~68°F, seedlings in 1–3 weeks; 60/75 band around the single cited temp. Planting depth 0-1/8 in (surface-sown): 'Scatter the seeds thinly on the surface, there is no need to cover the tiny seeds.'
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany · GRIN calls Origanum vulgare 'wild marjoram' and lists 'oregano' only under subsp. hirtum (Greek oregano); the species covers either plant sold as garden oregano.