Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

How to grow your own rosemary, a versatile, savory herb

Erika Hardison
By

Rosemary, also known as Rosmarinus officinalis, is a savory herb with a welcoming fragrance. When grown in ideal conditions, it can be bountiful. It compliments meats such as chicken, beef, and lamb and adds a lively touch to stews and soups. It was first discovered and cultivated in the Mediterranean and has been used for many traditional practices across Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures.

If you’re one of the many people who wish to grow rosemary, there are several things you should be aware of before you start to plant. Depending on where you live, your rosemary can be placed in a container herb garden or planted as a beautiful shrub in your outdoor garden.

Rosemary cutting with roots

Rosemary: A perfect plant for the holidays

Not only is rosemary a versatile herb, it’s also a pleasant way to amp up the holiday cheer this season. You can be creative and opt for a rosemary tree instead of the traditional evergreen or pine tree. Not only are rosemary trees practically pest and disease resistant, but they also smell just as beautiful as standard Christmas trees and can be used for many purposes, such as cooking, tea, and seasonings. With a rosemary tree, you won’t have to worry about carrying it to the trash after the holidays or cleaning up endless pine needles.

Should I plant rosemary from seeds or as baby plants?

Some people find joy in growing their gardens from seeds. Other folks enjoy catering to baby plants and both options are fine. However, rosemary can be difficult to germinate. Rosemary can take several weeks or even months to sprout from a seed, which may leave newer green thumbs frustrated. Depending on what zone you live in, this could cause some real frustration. In this case, you should consider buying a baby plant from a local nursery, so you already have a head start.

A person harvesting rosemary
Daria Stock/Shutterstock

If you choose to start with seeds, you should start in the winter. Aim to start your rosemary seeds up to 12 weeks before your last frost to achieve optimal results. When potting your rosemary seeds, remember that they thrive better in sandy and rocky soil as opposed to your traditional potting mix. Sandy cactus soil is also a preferable option. After you’ve selected your sandy mix, only add about three seeds per potting cell and make sure you’re not burying the seeds. You want them to rest on top of the soil, so they’re visible to the naked eye.

What’s the ideal climate for rosemary?

Rosemary is a perennial plant. While it can survive in droughts, it needs a lot of sunlight. Ideally, 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight works best. When temperatures start to plummet to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and colder, it’s best to bring them inside. If you live in zones 7 through 10, though, you’re lucky: Those zones have the luxury of keeping their rosemary outside all year-round.

For those of you new to gardening, you might want to invest in Rise Gardens. It’s an indoor hydroponic smart garden with WiFi and mobile app capabilities that will help you stay on a schedule as well as allow your seeds to reach their full potential.

Growing rosemary

How big can rosemary get?

If you’re in zones 7 through 10, your rosemary can grow up to six feet tall. Of course, if it’s potted, it won’t grow that large. It should be noted that even though rosemary is a perennial, it should be treated with the care of an annual, which means you should be cautious about how much you water it. Rosemary tends to prefer drier yet humid conditions so if you plan on doing some indoor gardening, terracotta pots would work best.

How to harvest rosemary

Now that your rosemary is growing, you’ll want to know how to tell when your rosemary is ready to be harvested. [what are some of these signs?]

To harvest, start by selecting the longer rosemary branches. You want to encourage growth and don’t want to harvest from branches that are still growing. It’s also important to remember to not cut a lot of rosemary at once; cut only what you need at the time. For best results, try to harvest and prune a couple of weeks before the last frost in your zone.

Now you’ve received some tips on growing and harvesting rosemary both indoors and outdoors. Indoors, you’ll always have fresh herbs within reach. If you plant a rosemary tree outdoors this holiday season, you’ll transform your holiday dinner. Be creative and have fun with this versatile plant.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
What does NPK mean when it comes to fertilizing plants?
Your guide to the main nutrients in the NPK ratio for robust plant growth
A gardener fertilizing a young plant

Just like humans, plants need food in order to stay healthy and strong. Fertilizers give plants full-sized leaves, healthy roots, and vibrant flowers. Without sufficient soil nutrients, plants will grow very slowly, developing weak stems and pale leaves. If you're going for a verdant, vibrant garden landscape or indoor jungle, plant food is a must.

But not all fertilizers are built the same. To distinguish between different fertilizers, you’ll want to reference the NPK ratio. But what exactly do these numbers mean? To help your plants grow robustly, we’ve got the details ahead.

Read more
The best little flowers to grow when you’re low on space – plant these this spring
Grow these little flowers for a small but beautiful garden
Forget-me-nots in a cup

Many people dream of large, sprawling gardens bursting with flowers. However, that type of garden isn’t right for everyone. Whether you’re short of space, prefer smaller flowers, or just need some little flowers to mix with your larger ones, we’ve compiled four of the best cute flowers that stay small. Plant these flowers to maximize beauty while minimizing space.

Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots, also known as scorpion grass, are sweet little flowers. They’re classically pale blue, but can also be light pink or white. These flowers typically only grow to heights of around 5 inches and can grow in small clumps for a more full appearance. They prefer moist, well-draining soil, but can develop mildew if the soil becomes waterlogged.

Read more
3 incredible reasons why you should be using coffee grounds in your garden
Don't throw out your coffee grounds. Find out if your garden needs them first
A succulent planted in a silver mug next to a pile of coffee grounds and coffee beans with a spoon on top

You might have heard that it's a good idea to use coffee grounds in your garden. It's often touted as a great organic fertilizer, but some gardeners are still skeptical. Should you actually be using coffee grounds in gardens, or does this advice fall a little flat?

As it turns out, it depends on your soil composition and what plants you’re growing. If you're unsure about whether this tip is right for you, don't worry! We'll walk you through when coffee grounds are perfect for your plants and when your ground is better off without the grounds.

Read more