The rubbed oregano on an oven-fresh pizza completes the Italian classic. We present everything you need to know about the tart, spicy herb.

The popular pizza herb also grows wonderfully in your garden

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae). Many other famous herbs such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and sage (Salvia officinalis) are therefore related to it. He is also often referred to as Dost - but that is misleading. Dost is the trivial name of the entire genus Origanum. Oregano is a perennial, herbaceous plant that can reach a height of between 20 and 70 cm. The oregano grows more or less upright. It forms a rhizome whose subterranean rhizomes push shoot buds to the surface. These filigree buds are the wintering organs of the Mediterranean herb. However, its hardiness is relatively limited due to its origin in the milder Mediterranean regions. However, the pizza herb is relatively easy to care for when it comes to watering. And oregano can boast not only with its Mediterranean flavor, but also with its healing powers. We will introduce you to the representatives of the Mediterranean herbs and show you how they can also grow in your garden.
Synonyms: Dost, Dorst, Wild Marjoram, Wohlgemut

Oregano: Cultivation in your own garden

Location
So that your own cultivation of oregano is crowned with success, you should choose the location in your own garden with care. The perennial herb, originally from the Mediterranean region, prefers a sunny and warm location. In addition, the soil should have permeable properties, for example in the form of a certain amount of sand, and not be too rich in nutrients. Heavy clay or loam soils can be loosened up by working in sand or humus and preparing them for the cultivation of oregano. The requirements apply to cultivation in beds as well as to cultivation in pots. Since the oregano forms a distinct rootstock with runners, the container for pot cultivation should not be chosen too small. A special herb substrate such as our Plantura organic herb &Ideal for seeding.

You can find more about cultivation in our article Growing oregano: The Mediterranean classic in your own garden.

The filigree flower competes with many an ornamental plant

Propagation
There are three ways to propagate oregano. If you are already the proud owner of an oregano plant or if there is one in the area, you can separate fresh, young shoots from an existing plant and propagate them with cuttings. The best time for this is spring from mid-May. Likewise, the entire plant including the root ball can be divided and separated into several plants. This should be done a few weeks earlier than the cuttings propagation. Of course there are also oregano plants to buy. The specimens from the vegetable department also have a chance of surviving in their own garden. However, they have to be slowly adapted to the external conditions in the garden, because in the greenhouses of the herb nurseries they are protected from direct sunlight and cool night temperatures.

Young oregano plants are also available for purchase

Oregano seeds are also commercially available. It can take 20 to 25 days at an average temperature of 15 °C for the first seedlings to appear. Outdoors, you can start at the end of April, with pre-breeding on the windowsill as early as mid-February. Since oregano is one of the light germinators, it is best not to cover the seed with soil to protect it from drying out. Putting a pane of glass on top can help. If it doesn't get too hot under the glass pane, you can leave it over the sowing disc until the first cotyledons appear.
You can find even more tips and tricks under Oregano: Growing successfully.

Watering and fertilizing
The evolutionary adaptation to the dry Mediterranean climate has not passed the oregano by. He can get by with very little water and doesn't resent longer dry spells. Waterlogging should even be avoided - due to the high risk of infection with root fungi, this can even lead to the death of the oregano. While the bed rarely needs to be watered during extreme and prolonged dry periods, depending on the size of the container, an oregano in a pot may need daily watering if there is a lot of heat and sun.

For a sufficient supply of nutrients, it is sufficient to work a primarily organic slow-release fertilizer into the soil in spring, such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer.When growing in pots, an organic liquid fertilizer such as our Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer can be used every four to six weeks. However, this should not be done more often, otherwise the shoots will become long and unstable and the intensity of the aroma will be lost.

Care
If the shoots of the oregano become too long and leafless over the years, a more radical pruning in early spring before new shoots is recommended. When cutting, only about 10 cm of shoots are left above the ground. This also promotes branching of the plant.
Depending on the species or variety, oregano is hardy. However, the hardest-boiled specimens only withstand temperatures down to around -15 °C. An additional winter protection of the plants in the bed in brushwood or mulch is therefore advisable. Oregano pots can simply be kept warm for the cold season.

For the oregano, a south-facing window is ideal

Would you like to find out more about proper care? Then take a look at our article Caring for oregano: overwintering, cutting and transplanting.

Oregano: characteristics of its subspecies

The genus Origanum, to which the described mint family belongs, contains similar relatives of the popular pizza herb. It is often confused with the annual and much milder marjoram (Origanum majorana). Origanum vulgare has established itself as a spice for worldwide cultivation for good reason: Almost without exception, it has clear advantages over its close relatives in terms of frost hardiness.

The flower of Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum is mostly white, sometimes slightly pink

Furthermore, oregano (Origanum vulgare) is divided into six subspecies depending on their specific geographical occurrence. The best known and most popular subspecies is the Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum). It stands out from the other oregano representatives, which usually have pink to purple flowers, with a white flower. It is also the most successful despite the cold winters and is therefore particularly suitable for cultivation in beds.

Harvesting and storing oregano

Oregano can be harvested in two ways throughout the summer. If you pluck the individual leaves in minute work, you promote the lush and rapid branching of the plant. But even if whole shoots are cut off 10 to 15 cm above the ground, afast sprouting of the fast-growing plant. A more radical harvest pruning is possible at any time during the frost-free phase. However, if done too late, it may taste the ornamental oregano blossom. The best time to harvest is just before flowering. This is when the content of the aromatic essential oils is highest and the taste and smell are therefore most intense. Furthermore, care should be taken to harvest in the morning hours and not when it rains, to intensify the aroma.

Fresh herbs are often dried in bunches

Oregano can of course be used freshly harvested - but it doesn't have to. The following options exist to extend the shelf life of oregano without serious loss of aroma:

  • Drying: The harvested shoots are hung upside down and can be air dried without any loss of aroma. After the drying process is complete, the leaves are rubbed off the stems and stored in the absence of air. So the spice can be used very well for more than a year.
  • Freezing: The freshly harvested oregano leaves can be frozen and removed as needed.
  • Preserving: Entire shoots or individual leaves can also be preserved in olive oil. The oil absorbs the essential oils of oregano and is ideal for cooking, marinating or preparing a salad dressing. The parts of the plant should be completely surrounded by the oil to prevent mold growth from exposure to air.

You can find more interesting facts under Oregano: harvest and store correctly.

Oregano: Use of the Mediterranean Herb

Oregano is excellent for cooking and is probably familiar to everyone from the preparation of classic Italian dishes. Sauces, salad dressings and marinades can be excellently refined with the tart, spicy herb. It can create a Mediterranean atmosphere both fresh and dried. It is suitable for meat dishes as well as for the preparation of egg speci alties. An all-rounder, who, however, masters the right garnish of savory dough speci alties like no other. Grated oregano should not be missing on any pizza and other Italian classics such as the s alty schiacciata or ciabatta with tomato-mozzarella white oregano can be skilfully refined.

Oregano is a must on any pizza

But the healing power should not be forgotten with all the skills in the kitchen. Due to its ingredients, oregano has somepositive effects on the human organism. In the Middle Ages, it was already administered to induce childbirth and, as an incense plant, was supposed to keep evil away. Today we know that it has an anticonvulsant effect when taken as a tea for stomach and intestinal complaints. It can also be helpful in bacterial respiratory infections. Processed into oregano oil, the herb can be anti-inflammatory and generally helpful against impure skin.

Oregano - the Mediterranean pizza herb - shouldn't just be given a place in the herb garden of lovers of Italian cuisine.

Category:

Herbs