Greens & herbs
Rosemary
Plant Oct to Nov; a shrub, evergreen.
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- 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; the shrub is a Central Texas standby. The one care that matters 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 it as an evergreen perennial and a Central Texas standby, and 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.