Planting
Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil; rosemary won’t tolerate being constantly wet. Ideally, the soil should be relatively fertile (mix in compost prior to planting to increase nutrient levels).
When to Plant Rosemary
- Plant rosemary in spring well after the frosts have passed, once the soil is starting to warm up (around 70ºF or 21°C). In warmer climates, plant in spring or fall.
- Most gardeners start rosemary from young plants bought at a nursery. This plant does not germinate easily from seed and seedlings are slow to grow.
- However, if you have access to an established rosemary plant, rosemary is very easily started from cuttings.
- If you wish to grow from seed indoors, just be aware it will take several years to grow the plant large enough to start harvesting.
- Start seeds or cuttings indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. (See your local frost dates.)
How to Plant Rosemary
- Rosemary grows well in the ground or in containers. However, it does not like wet roots, so if your soil is heavy or wet, plant it in a pot or a raised bed. Also, rosemary does not transplant well from ground to container, so start in a pot if you plan to bring it inside (especially in colder climates).
- Before planting in the ground, mix in several inches of organic matter, such as compost, to create nutritious, fertile soil.
- In a pot, use a container mix, as rosemary needs a lighter-weight soil mix.
- Space starter plants 2 to 3 feet apart; rosemary does not like being crowded.
- If starting seeds or cuttings indoors, keep the soil moist while seeds germinate and roots develop. Seeds can take a long time to germinate (2 to 3 weeks), so don’t give up right away! Plant outside once the plant is 4 inches tall.
Growing
- Keep the soil uniformly moist, allowing it to dry out between waterings. Be consistent; be careful not to overwater.
- Rosemary shrubs growing in the ground do not need fertilizer, but a potted plant will run out of nutrition more quickly, so feed with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer after flowering.
- Mulch the shrubs to keep plants insulated in winter, but keep mulch away from the crown of the plant to avoid rotting.
- Prune annually before new growth begins in the spring, and prune out dead wood. Don’t prune the rosemary too heavily.
- If you leave rosemary unpruned, it can get very woody, leggy, and straggly. After about 5 years, it’s best to replace it.
- Be sure to get cuttings or divide the plant for next season if it won’t survive winter in your area.
- During the winter, bring potted rosemary plants inside. Learn how to overwinter rosemary indoors.
More Like This
It's possible that the soil was kept too wet or too dry after repotting, or the plant was given too much sunlight. Freshly repotted plants can be fragile!
Rosemary is notoriously slow to germinate even in ideal conditions—as much as 25 days (or more). Some sources say that the seeds should be barely covered, others say 1/4-inch deep in well-draining germination/seed starting mix. Another suggests using sand or vermiculite. The heat is good; some say 80°F to 90°F. The light is not needed until you see growth, and at that time you want to water minimally (rosemary is highly prone to dampening off) and provide ventilation. You should sow more seeds than you want/need; no only is the germination rate slow, it is low.
These are all reasons that growers start it from cuttings. But give it time—and let us know how it goes!
Since yours is an established plant, it won't need as much water as in the first year of planting. Water deeply (not shallowly) when the top inch or two of soil is dry to the touch; it does not like much/frequent water and does poorly in soggy soil. Too much water can also make the plant woody. Depending on your climate, the watering schedule may be every 1 to 3 weeks--an established plant does not need a lot.
As for harvesting, some varieties are better than others for cooking, but you can use the leaves both fresh and dried. To dry rosemary, use pruners to cut 1 or 2 inches off the top growth of a sprig or two (leaving green foliage on the remaining twig) in the morning, then hang them to dry in a ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Once dried, rub off the leaves from the stems and store the leaves in a sealed glass jar in a cool, dark place. Some gardeners like to wait until the plant is about to bloom to harvest rosemary, for more intense flavor, but you can snip off leaves any time. Don't harvest more than about 1/4 of the plant, though, at the very maximum. Use leaves fresh or dried to flavor meats (especially lamb), fish, casseroles, soups, stews, tomato dishes, rice, salads, eggs, apples, wines, sauces, and dressings. Add small amounts, dried and crushed fine, to biscuits and jams. Try infusing it in oils or vinegars.
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