Oregano

1. 1

   Pick Greek over common for kitchen use

   Common oregano (Origanum vulgare): the UK native wild marjoram. Pretty pink-white flowers, excellent for bees, mild flavour — fine for salads but weak for pizzas and tomato sauces. Greek oregano (subsp. hirtum): the proper culinary form, white flowers, much stronger essential oil content, this is what Italian and Greek cooking demands. Pot marjoram / Sweet marjoram (O. majorana): different species, sweeter, more tender (H1c–H3) — see separate sweet-marjoram content. Many seed packets confuse the three. Buy by Latin name from a herb nursery to be sure.

2. 2

   Plant in poor, dry, sunny soil

   The most common cause of weak oregano flavour is rich soil. Stress and drought concentrate the essential oils. Sandy or gravelly soil in full sun is ideal; on heavier soils fork in plenty of horticultural grit, or grow in pots. Never feed oregano — feeding weakens flavour. Even pots benefit from grit mixed into peat-free compost.

3. 3

   Buy a young plant rather than start from seed

   Seed-grown oregano varies wildly in flavour — many plants are weak culinary forms. Buy a named cultivar in 1 L pot from a herb nursery (Jekka's, Pepperpot, Hartley Botanic), or take a cutting/division from a friend's strong-flavoured plant. One plant is enough for a household and will spread.

4. 4

   Mulch with gravel, not bark

   A 3 cm layer of gravel or pea shingle around the base keeps weeds down, prevents soil splash on the leaves, and reflects heat onto the plant (which intensifies flavour). Organic mulches hold moisture against the stem and encourage rot. The Mediterranean look is also the right look.

5. 5

   Hard-prune in spring

   Late April, cut the whole plant back to the woody stubs — almost ground level. This stops it sprawling, encourages strong new growth, and keeps flavour concentrated. Oregano sprouts vigorously from old wood (unlike sage), so don't be timid.

6. 6

   Let some flower, cut others

   Mid-summer flowering (July–August) is when bees descend in numbers — oregano is one of the top 10 UK garden plants for bee diversity. Let half the clump flower for wildlife; on the other half, snip flower stems off as buds form to keep leaf production going for the kitchen.

7. 7

   Pick and dry through summer

   Pick whole sprigs by snipping 10 cm tips. For drying, harvest just as flower buds form (peak essential oil concentration), bunch and hang upside-down in a warm dry place for 1–2 weeks. Crumble dried leaves off the stems and store in a sealed jar. Unlike most herbs, oregano often tastes stronger dried than fresh.

8. 8

   Limit self-seeding

   Common oregano self-seeds prolifically and can colonise gravel paths and rockeries. Cut flower stems off before seed sets (early autumn) if you want to contain it. Greek oregano (the culinary form) is less aggressive; Common is the wanderer.

Strongly aromatic; virtually pest-free.