A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Herbs Oregano question

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to grow some oregano in a 5 inch pot on a windowsill however the oregano seems to sprout but then just stop growing. Right now it is sprouted but less than 1/4 inch tall and hasn't seemed to grow out at all in the past two weeks. Is this normal? I tried oregano last year and got the same results. What am I doing wrong?

Maybe it's the soil? Oregano like most herbs likes well-drained soil and full sun. Oregano needs only a moderately fertile soil to thrive in, but drainage is important. You can mix in a little sand into the soil. Do not over water the soil, instead let it dry out some and then water lightly so there is never too much moisture at any time!

Ciao all-

My experience with growing herbs from seed other than basil is that they're slow to germinate, slow to grow, and require lots of light to thrive. They also suffer from damping off easily because they like very dry conditions. I have fluorescents, but now I don't bother trying to grow anything from basil from seed. Oregano perennializes here in zone 5, but the annual herbs I want to grow like rosemary I just buy as plants for a few dollars and be done with it.

I finally got the hang of growing seeds. since my flower and veggie garden habit just continued to grow I couldn't afford buying all those from plants anymore.
I'm pretty proud of my seed growing! I'm getting darn good at it, if I do say so myself!
I tried oregano too this last spring and had about the same results as you are having, dan. I even 'weeded' the first batch of oregano cause they just didn't seem like any seedlings I had ever grown. the second batch I used more patients but they died off when other things like my tomatoes had already been transplanted twice in pots and then was in the garden.
a friend ended up giving me some of her oregano from a well established plant. If I'd known, I would have never bothered with the oregano seed.

I use very well draining soil, water medium heavy, and allow soil to dry a bit between waterings.

It seems the medium heavy watering and time to dry in between alerts them to grow faster. Like adult oregano, seedling oregano does not like having consistently slightly moist soil. Most young plants do like that moist soil, but not any herbs I've grown. Just be careful not to let them dry up as I have done before :)

They also like constant temperature.

I've tried oregano before, with the same results. I gave up and bought a starter plant. The only thing I could ever get to grow before this was rosemary. Thanks for these tips!