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Are you a beginner gardener? Growing rosemary is one of the easiest herbs to grow, and luckily, it’s also one of the most popular. This hardy perennial will come back year after year as long as you get is started right. Learning how to grow and harvest rosemary is a great skill!
Rosemary is one of my most favorite herbs, and not only because it’s easy to grow. Rosemary also has many fragrant and medicinal uses, making it an awesome addition to any garden. Cook, clean, make soap and potpourri with this great herb! Rosemary is also high in nutrients, containing Calcium, Iron and Vitamin B6.
Growing Outdoors
Rosemary thrives outdoors, in warm climates. It needs well-drained soil. Rosemary is incredibly hardy and can handle drought conditions. Although it’s an herb that prefers full-sun, it will also do well in partial shade.
When and How to Plant Rosemary
To plant seeds or seedlings, be sure they are planted 1/4 inch deep and about a foot a part from one another. Rosemary needs space to grow and lots of room for its roots. Rosemary can grow so large and bushy, that some people actually sculpt the bush into fun shapes.
Seeds and seedlings need an average soil temperature of 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit in order to germinate and thrive. Rosemary needs well drained soil and shouldn’t sit in drenched soil for too long. This herb also enjoys being planted near bean, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peppers and sage.
Rosemary is fairly low maintenance, although it can benefit from organic plant food or fertilizer, many times it doesn’t need much to grow well.
Related: How to Grow and Harvest Basil
Growing Indoors
If you live in a cold climate (like I do), you’ll need to start your seeds indoors. Rosemary seeds need to be started 8 weeks before the last frost.
Planting and Germination
Plant Rosemary seeds in an organic seed starting medium, in a seed tray. It’s important to plant multiple seedlings per cell to ensure that one seedling will survive.
Make sure to water from the bottom of the tray. This will prevent the seeds from being displaced. It takes about 15-25 days for Rosemary seeds to sprout. Although, germination rates tend to be unreliable. Rosemary seeds need to be very warm in order to germinate. To be sure that it’s warm enough, use a seedling heat mat underneath your seeds.
Growing Seedlings
Once the seeds have germinated, be sure to add a grow light a few inches above your seedlings. This will prevent them from becoming leggy and help them grow faster. Rosemary loves light, so make sure the light is on them for most of the day.
It’s ok to allow seedlings to dry out a little between watering. Rosemary enjoys well drained soil. Seedlings need to be transplanted into larger pots to get big enough for outdoor transplanting.
At this step you can transplant into a larger pot and keep indoors always, or you can plant in a seedling pot and prepare them for transplanting outdoors once the weather allows.
Transplanting Seedlings
Seedlings can be planted outdoors once the temperature of the soil consistently reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Rosemary should get about a foot in height before being planted outdoors.
Seedlings must be hardened off before transplanting. If your seedlings are not hardened, they will most likely die from transplant shock.
As stated above be sure to plant them 12 inches (one foot) apart from one another. This will allow enough room for air circulation, growth and most importantly, roots.
Related: Planning a Spring Vegetable Garden
Basic Maintenance
Rosemary plants, when grown correctly, will give you plenty of rosemary year after year. To maintain your plants during the season, be sure to allow enough room for their growth and don’t overwater.
If you live in a cold climate, it’s important to prune the bush back during the fall and cover the plant in mulch before the cold hits. Otherwise, your rosemary may not make it to the following spring.
When To Harvest
Rosemary can be used both fresh and dried (as well as frozen). Used with meats is very common, as well as its many uses in Mediterranean cuisine.
Use Fresh
Prune sprigs about 4-6 inches long throughout the season. Fresh Rosemary can be used when making stews and soups, it also works well when searing steaks. Rosemary tastes great in breads too. Pruning will also help the plant grow larger and fuller.
Rinse your rosemary sprigs will cool water and use as you wish. Store fresh rosemary in the refrigerator. I usually wrap them in a paper towel or tea towel and place them in a closed jar in the fridge. This will help them stay fresher for longer. Although you’ll need to use them within a week.
Use Dried
Drying rosemary is a great option for preserving them. Simply hang the rosemary sprigs out in a dark, dry area and leave them be for a couple weeks. Once dried, remove the tiny leaves from the twig and place them in a jar. Use as you would store-bought rosemary. Dried rosemary is also a great addition for potpourris, and when grown from home, are much more fragrant.
Adding rosemary to your garden will not be a regret. Learning how to grow and harvest rosemary will be a skill you use for years to come.
Cindy says
I love the smell of rosemary but the flavor profile is not one I love. We found Rosemary planted outside a restaurant once on an island. The smell is distinctive and smells great!
Elizabeth says
It definitely has a distinctive taste! It is great in potpourris though. I’m with you, I love the smell!
Leslie W. says
Rosemary is good for coughs, too.
Elizabeth says
Yes, so true! Thank you for the additional info!
Lisa Manderino says
Thanks for sharing, I love learning new things!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for stopping by!
Holly says
Rosemary is o e of my favorite herbs to grow and cook with!
Elizabeth says
Mine too!
Tricia Snow says
I had no idea you can freeze Rosemary! I have it growing and will be able to save some for another time!
Karen says
Rosemary grows so easily by me! I have a couple of huge bushes in my flower bed. I always love to weed around them because they smell so good!
Elizabeth says
Yes! Even if you don’t like the flavor in food, rosemary smells so good in the garden!
Julia Kelahan says
Love rosemary! I love to make simple syrup with it for drinks.
Elizabeth says
It does! I also love it baked in bread,
Allison says
I do not have a green thumb at all but I love the smell of rosemary.
Elizabeth says
You’re in luck! Rosemary is super easy to grow (lol). Thank you for stopping by!
Jennifer says
Thanks for sharing. I lost most of my herb garden cause it had been so dry.
Elizabeth says
That’s a bummer. Oregano loves dry climates! You can try growing that herb in your area and you’ll most likely have good luck.
Rachel says
My kids have been talking about doing a garden this year. Thanks for the info! 😊
Elizabeth says
Thank you for stopping by!
Eva says
I love the smell of rosemary but not the flavor in my food. But I love the idea of having a bush in the yard so I can enjoy the smell. Thanks for breaking the info down. Since I live in middle Georgia, I should probably wait until April to plant, don’t you think?
Elizabeth says
April would probably be a perfect time for your climate! I’m in Colorado, so I can’t plant anything until the end of May. Rosemary also repels mosquitoes, so it’s great to have if only for the aroma and the bug repellent.
Sydney Delong says
Thank you for this! I am hoping to have a nice garden within the next couple years, and rosemary is a must grow item! I love using it on meat and potatoes!
Elizabeth says
Me too! I hope you get a garden started too!
Heather says
You said it grows back year after year. Is this true in colder climates?
Elizabeth says
Up to Zone 5, however, you really have to mulch it to protect the plant. I’m in Colorado, in zone 5a, and my rosemary died over winter the first time I tried to plant it.
judean says
Many of my friends have herb gardens. I just don’t use herbs in cooking as much as others. My husband would love to grow his own herbs so I will share this information with him.
Elizabeth says
Thank you! I hope he finds it helpful.
Lucinda says
I’m in Colorado too. 🙂 I’ve planted basil and cilantro, but haven’t tried rosemary. I love fragrant things in my yard. I’ve got a couple of lavender plants and I love just rubbing their stems.
Robin Frields says
I love the smell of rosemary. I would love to have it in my house someday. Thank you for sharing!
Maria says
Love the smell of Rosemary. Great tutorial.
Suzan says
Rosemary is one of my favorites to grow not only for culinary uses but for hydrosols & medicinal uses. Another idea is every fall (if you live in a colder climate they do not overwinter) simply cut from your existing plant, tear the “leaves” off the lower part of the branch, place in water and let root. I keep mine in water all winter and simply plant them in soil when I’m beginning my seedlings indoors. Thanks so much for sharing your tips on growing this lovely herb!
Tara Hallie says
I love having an herb garden; it’s so rewarding and walking by the herbs in the summer is such a treat! Great tips on growing rosemary, too!
Cindy says
I love rosemary too! We got so much rain last year that I lost a lot of herbs. I dug up my rosemary plant and potted it. It wintered indoors. I may just leave it as a potted plant.
Elizabeth says
They do really well in containers, and it’s easier to protect them if you live in a climate with really cold winters. I also have one in a container!