Greens & herbs
Rosemary
In a pot, overwintered indoors.
- Outside
- Out after mid May, in before frost
- Where
- A pot; winters on a cool bright sill
- Sun
- Every ray it can get
- Water
- Soak when the top inch dries; never wet feet
- Harvest
- Jun to Oct, a sprig at a time
Care
- Water
- Wait until the top inch of the mix feels dry, then water well and let it drain right through; rosemary rots if the roots sit wet. Ease off hard over winter indoors, giving only enough to keep the pot from going bone dry. Overwatering kills far more plants than thirst.
- Sow
- Buy a small plant rather than fighting slow, stingy seed. Pot it into a lean, gritty mix in a terra cotta pot, which breathes and keeps the center from staying soggy. One plant per pot, with room to size up.
- Feed
- Barely feeds at all. A light scratch of compost in spring is plenty, and even that is optional; lean soil keeps the oils sharp, while rich feeding softens the plant and invites rot.
- Ready
- Take a sprig whenever you cook, right through the growing season. Once it comes inside and growth pauses for winter, only a light snip here and there until it heads back out in spring.
- Trouble
- Root rot from wet feet is the number one way to lose it, indoors or out. The winter flip side is drying to a crisp in hot furnace air, so keep it cool and bright. Check for spider mites and aphids while it winters inside.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 3–5 gal bag.
- Water
- A fabric bag breathes and dries even faster than a terra cotta pot, which suits a plant that hates wet feet; over winter indoors, water only when the top inch is dry so it sits neither soggy nor bone dry.
- Sow
- One plant per 3 to 5 gallon bag; it still comes indoors before the first frost, bag and all.
Rosemary lives here in a pot, summering outside from mid May and wintering on a cool bright windowsill, one zone short of staying out. The growing is easy; the overwintering is the skill.
Growing
Pot it in a gritty, fast-draining mix, terra cotta if possible, and give it the sunniest spot outdoors after mid May; through summer it wants little beyond an occasional soak. Winter is the test: a cool, bright room, water only when the top inch dries, no radiator company. Most indoor rosemary dies of drought in furnace air or drowns under worried watering, and the cool room splits that difference. Growth stalls in the dark months, so snip lightly until the pot goes back out.
Varieties
Arp and Madeline Hill are the hardiest strains, the ones to try against a south wall if the pot routine ever gets old; Tuscan Blue makes the handsomest pot plant.
In the kitchen
A sprig under the potatoes or in the roast pan covers most uses. One healthy plant supplies a household with embarrassing ease.