Rosemary

Rosemary

Soil

Any average, well drained soil enriched with compost.

Position

Sun or partial shade.

Frost tolerant

Hardy only to about 10 degrees F, though winter protection can help. Where winters are mild, rosemary can grow into huge, shrub-like plants. In cold winter areas, small plants can be potted up in fall and grown through winter indoors.

Feeding

Drench plants with a water soluble organic plant food one month after setting them out.

Companions

Beans, Cabbage, Carrot, Sage and Lavender.

Spacing

Single Plants: 7" (20cm) each way (minimum)

Rows: 7" (20cm) with 7" (20cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

Start with a purchased plant, keeping in mind that growth habit varies with variety. Trailing rosemary for walls, or dwarf varieties for containers, are propagated by rooting stem cuttings rather than from seeds. Wild Mediterranean rosemary can be grown from seeds or plants.

Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Frequent pinching back helps to keep plants bushy and full, and it delays flowering. Trailing rosemary is great cascading over a wall.

Harvesting

Gather sprigs as needed in the kitchen. Gather stems for drying from spring to late summer.

Troubleshooting

Plants are often short-lived, so root stem cuttings each spring to always have vigorous young plants. Treat small outbreaks of powdery mildew with a spray made from 2 Tablespoons milk in 1 cup water.