Will Oregano Survive Winter? Oregano Hardiness Desk – Tiny Backyard Behavior

This submit incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. As an Amazon Affiliate TinyGardenHabit.com earns from qualifying purchases.

Oregano can theoretically survive winter open air in virtually each local weather and is hardy proper right down to -30°F (for reference, that covers most of Alaska!). So why is it so arduous to develop open air right here, and what can gardeners do to assist oregano survive winter?

Nicely, the reply lies extra in the kind of winter than the temperatures you face. Chilly, moist winters are a lot worse for these Mediterranean herbs than chilly dry winters. So, snow, ice, hail, and rain must be averted, however we’ve additionally obtained some worthwhile suggestions for oregano winter care to get these scrumptious kitchen herbs proper by to spring.

About Oregano

Oregano is a hardy Mediterranean herb with woody perennial stems which come again yearly. It’s a part of the mint household (Lamiaceae) and thrives in any local weather with good solar and respectable drainage. 

Not like most herbs, oregano truly has its greatest taste when dried and is straightforward to reap in summer season to your winter larder. When contemporary, its leaves can have a bitter aftertaste. When dried, oregano has a candy earthy taste that brings out the sugars in different meals and provides a comfy taste to most dishes.

What temperature can oregano survive?

Probably the most frequent issues with oregano is that it rots in winter. It’s a typical false impression that frost and freezing temperatures kill oregano in winter, when actually, it’s moisture that often sees an finish to those scrumptious vegetation (illustrated by our desk beneath).

Oregano hardiness desk:

Hardiness zone	Coldest winter temperature	Is oregano hardy?
1	-50°F	No
2	-45°F	No
3	-35°F	No
4	-30°F	Sure
5	-20°F	Sure
6	-10°F	Sure
7	0°F	Sure
8	10°F	Sure
9	20°F	Sure
10	30°F	Sure
11-13	40°F +	No

Why does oregano die off in winter?

Oregano dies in winter as a consequence of extended damp temperatures, and an absence of evaporation or want for water within the soil. When water is left standing, notably in containers, it stagnates and harbors bacterial and fungal pathogens which assault the roots of vegetation.

Oregano is totally dormant throughout winter open air, following an lively 12 months of vegetative progress, flowering, and setting seed. So in case your oregano browns off and drops its leaves, it’s a part of a pure cycle and never an issue.

The issue begins when these vegetation are left in damp floor or pots are left sitting out within the rain by all and winter.

How you can overwinter oregano

To assist get your oregano vegetation safely by winter, carry them indoors, or transfer them to a sheltered spot. Clearly, that is simpler for container-grown vegetation, however it’s nicely price digging up a clump of oregano from the backyard and overwintering in a chilly body or greenhouse too. That manner, even when your important plant dies, you’ve obtained a alternative prepared for spring.

To arrange oregano in pots for winter:

1. Minimize stems again by about 2/3 
2. Transfer pots right into a greenhouse, chilly body, or indoors.
3. If that’s not attainable, cowl pots with fleece to maintain many of the rain off.

To arrange outside oregano for winter:

1. Plant it appropriately. Add loads of grit to oregano planting holes in order that they’re by no means sat immediately in moist soil. Add a 2” layer of grit to the bottom of the planting gap so as to add additional drainage.
2. For current vegetation: Dig up half the plant, rigorously teasing the roots away from the primary plant. 
3. Prune again stems again by about 2/3.
4. Retailer the division in a plastic pot away from rain, snow, or hail.

Pruning oregano for winter

Don’t over-prune oregano, as this could make it very arduous for the plant to get well in spring after chilly winters. In fall, when the flowers have completed and the leaves start to drop, reduce round two-thirds of the highest progress, leaving some foliage on the base of every stem. Not solely will this stop frost injury to prime progress, however it’s going to create bushier vegetation in spring.

Tip: Like mint, you’ll be able to reduce half of any oregano plant again to its lowest leaves in summer season when it begins flowering. You possibly can proceed to reap the flowering stems and can get a second flush of contemporary leaves in late summer season.

How you can hold Oregano going by winter

To proceed harvesting oregano proper by winter, develop it in pots and prune again after flowering. Then carry it indoors to a heat, vibrant spot, the place it’s going to proceed to develop new leaves by winter. Harvest sparingly and go away it for a couple of weeks in cooler temperatures for at the very least 3 weeks of dormancy earlier than spring.

Conclusion 

Oregano is one in all my favourite herbs, however it took a very long time to get proper. We’re in zone 9 right here, however the winters lately have truly had temperatures right down to 0°F (zone 7). By pruning our oregano vegetation again to the decrease leaves, and preserving them dry by winter, they burst into life in spring. 

So, don’t at all times assume that heat local weather herbs want heat winters, take into account the opposite facets of local weather variations, like humidity, moisture, and wind. So, to reply the unique query… sure, oregano will certainly survive winter.