How to Grow Marjoram

Marjoram has a subtler flavor than its cousin oregano, but it's just as useful in the kitchen. It's also beautiful, with gray-green leaves and spikes of tiny white or pale pink flowers. It's a tender perennial, grown as an annual in all but the mildest climates.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cloches
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Garden Spades
• Garden Trowels
• Marjoram Seeds
• Plants
• Potting Soil
• Plants

1. Choose a sheltered site that gets full sun. Marjoram prefers soil on the rich side with a neutral to alkaline pH (7.0 to 8.0), but in warm weather it will thrive even in poor, dry soil.

2. Buy started plants at the nursery. Otherwise, sow seeds directly into the ground after the last frost or, to hurry things along, start seeds indoors six weeks before the last expected frost.

3. Harden off seedlings, whether homegrown or store-bought; when all danger of frost has passed, move them to the garden, spacing them 6 inches apart.

4. Keep plants warm and on the dry side. Protect young plants with cloches (see "How to Make Cloches") or other covers if the weather turns chilly.

5. Grow marjoram in containers if you live in a region colder than USDA zone 9. When the weather is mild, keep the plants on a sunny terrace or deck; when temperatures dip toward the frost level, move them to a cool but sunny greenhouse, cold frame or windowsill.

6. Start picking leaves as soon as they're large enough to use; flavor is best before the flowers open.

Tips & Warnings

• Aphids love marjoram. To keep them at bay, plant their archnemesis, coriander, nearby.
• Cloches are bell-shaped glass jars designed to keep plants warm when unexpected cold snaps strike. They've been used for centuries in European gardens. They're usually cost-prohibitive for a large garden, but they add an elegant, and practical, touch to a small one.

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on 8/1/2009 Whats Marjoram?