Growing Oregano in Victoria

Oregano loves the hot dry Victorian summers and can tolerate the cold wet winters. This beautiful, perennial herb is an easy-to-grow ground cover that fits comfortably into landscaping or the veggie garden. Oregano's natural environment is rocky mountainsides, so it thrives in the hot, dry parts of your garden where other plants struggle.

Oregano likes poor, well-drained soil. Don’t overfeed or overwater it.

This versatile herb likes light, well-draining soil, so there’s no need to add compost or manure. Oregano won’t do well in a spot with poor drainage, so if drainage is a problem in your garden, then a raised bed or container is the way to go. Remember to pop some pebbles or small stones into the bottom of your containers to improve drainage.

Oregano is most often grown from seedlings or small plants, but it can be grown from seeds. The seeds need light to germinate, so simply sprinkle them over the soil and keep them damp until the plants are established.

Oregano can be grown from seedlings or propagated from softwood cuttings. Either way, keep them well watered for the first few days to help them settle in well.

Pick from your plants often. It’ll encourage them to grow more vigorously and to fill out. Oregano may start to grow less well after 4 or so years. If your plants begin to look tired, replace them.

Don’t over-water. You only need to water when the soil is dry. Oregano is often planted in the sunniest, driest part of a garden, so remember to keep an eye on it during particularly hot weather and water if it’s looking thirsty.

Oregano doesn’t usually need to be fertilized. Over feeding the plants will cause them to produce an abundance of leaves, but the flavour will be less intense.

Oregano doesn’t need to be mulched. It prefers the soil to dry out properly between waterings.

Harvest as needed. Simply pick stalks or use scissors to cut what you need. The leaves can be used fresh or dried. You’ll notice that your plant won’t grow much in winter, but as soon as the weather warms up, it’ll have a burst of vigorous growth.