Greens & herbs
Rosemary
Plant Oct to Nov; a shrub, evergreen.
- Outside
- Plant once, Oct to Nov
- Where
- In ground; a shrub for a sunny corner
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Deep, infrequent soaks once established
- Harvest
- Year round, a sprig at a time
Care
- Water
- Deep and infrequent with the rest of the bed. A fall planting roots into the returning September rains and stands on its own; after that, an established shrub in mulched clay wants far less attention than a pot ever did.
- Sow
- Buy a small plant and set it out in October or November, the fall window that grows roots before summer. This is a plant-once shrub here, not an annual chore.
- Feed
- None worth doing. If an evergreen looks pale, the county's standing answer is compost and mulch before anything stronger; lean soil keeps the oils sharp.
- Ready
- Take sprigs whenever the kitchen wants them, any month of the year; an evergreen shrub here does not pause for winter, and the sprig supply does not close in December.
- Trouble
- Little troubles it on the record here, and the county plants it with the fall perennials; the one real demand is drainage, so give it a raised or mounded spot in Killeen clay and pull the mulch back off the crown, since lingering moisture is what kills rosemary. The other care is the fall planting window itself, so the roots are established before the first summer tests them.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 5–15 gal bag.
- Water
- A pot dries faster than any bed; check daily in summer, water when the top inch of mix is dry, and give the bag afternoon shade at the summer peak.
- Feed
- Lean: a light compost scratch in spring, a weekly plain-water leach to clear salts, and nothing more.
- Sow
- One shrub per 5 gallon or larger woody-herb pot; in the ground is easier here, since the shrub winters out in the open without help.
Rosemary is a permanent Texan here: planted once in October or November, it grows into an evergreen shrub handing out sprigs every month.
Growing
The Texas herb sheet files rosemary as an evergreen perennial, and the county calendar plants it with the fall perennials; the treatment is the size of the plant: give a shrub room, full sun, and set it out in fall so it roots before summer. There is no winter routine; the shrub stays where it is planted, through frosts that would end the basil, and keeps its color and its flavor straight through the short days.
In the kitchen
A sprig under the potatoes or in the roast pan covers most uses. One healthy shrub supplies a household with embarrassing ease.