Sara Pitzer - Growing & Using Oregano

by Sara Pitzer

The many different varieties of oregano have challenged taxono-mists who have tried to name them for decades. One botanical writer, Steven Foster, went so far as to say, Oregano more properly refers to a flavor than to one particular plant, yet some of the oreganos sold in nurseries have little of the flavor we associate with that herb.

In 1933, in her book Gardening with Herbs, Helen Morgenthau Fox wrote about having learned that there were some 30 different varieties of marjoram. She fretted about being unsure of what shed been growing. She mentioned a marjoram that comes true from seed and is said to be a good edging plant, speculating in apparent exasperation, perhaps this is the one I grew under the name of Origanum onites. It looks exactly like it and smells the same too. In a final bit of pique she added, Either it is an annual or not hardy, for it died during the winter. For those of us who are more interested in discovering and growing herbs than in naming them, however, not being sure what youll get can be lots of fun. All the members of the genus Origanum belong to the Mint Family, as do such herbs as basil and lemon balm. They share a typical resinous phenol odor, a square stem, and opposite oval leaves. In this book, well learn about perennial oreganos, but it should be noted that another popular species of Origanum is marjoram (Origanum majorana). It is often confused with oregano and used in its place. It is usually grown as an annual.

Although it seems to have originated in the Mediterranean countries, or as herbalist Allen Patterson puts it, the chalklands, oregano in some form or another now grows in many parts of the world. Origanum vulgare subspecies hirtum, or common oregano, grows wild as a perennial in the mountains in Greece. It has small white flowers, can reach as much as two feet in height, and forms dense clumps. Botanist Arthur Tucker says it smells like creosote. In North America, particularly in the Catskill Mountains, the oregano you find growing wild is probably Origanum vulgare subspecies vulgare; it also grows abundantly in the British Isles and Asia. It has pink flowers and may or may not have a strong aroma and taste, depending, apparently, on the region where you find it.

Although conventional herb lore contends that oregano did not appear in America as a culinary herb until American soldiers came home with a taste for Italian sauces after World War II, old gardening books note that Origanum heracleoticum and Origanum virens were identified in American gardens in 1806.

Almost all herbalists agree that the word oregano is of Greek origin and translates as joy of the mountains, from oros for mountain and ganos meaning joy. The mountain part is clear enough thats where much oregano grows but no one seems quite sure why the Greeks associated it with joy. The herb grows prettily and covers the ground with pleasant green foliage and clouds of pink or white flowers a joyful sight. It was sometimes recommended by early herbalists as an aphrodisiac, to relieve toothache, or to stimulate hair growth for bald men success at any of these could bring joy. Early brewers used oregano in their beer to disguise off flavors before they discovered hops. In fact, modern homebrewers occasionally experiment with adding oregano to their brews. Beer makes lots of people joyous. And biting into a good homemade pizza well seasoned with oregano brings joy to countless folks every day.

As early as the 1400s, oregano had a variety of medicinal, cosmetic, and household uses. It was used as a palliative for headache, rheumatism, colic, upset stomach, coughs, and scurvy. It was also used, probably in desperation, as an antidote to poison and a treatment against rabies. Women used oregano to induce menstruation, perhaps also in desperation. It was also used as one of the strewing herbs those plants scattered on floors in dairies, sick rooms, and churches before funerals to deodorize and disinfect the area. The purple flowers of some varieties of oregano were used to make dye, and people are said to have smoked oregano when tobacco was in short supply, though to what effect the reports dont say.

Today we still find a variety of uses for the real oreganos (Origanum vulgare, O. heracleoticum, O. laevigatum, O. syriacum, O. onites, O. dictamnus, and several crosses) as well as for the marjorams. Most are good for cooking, several work well as ground covers, and the tender oreganos, including the dittany group, make great houseplants. Growing both the hardy and tender varieties is relatively easy if you can provide for their basic needs.

First, ignore the popular belief that herbs do best in poor soil. Thats like saying people do best in bad climates! They can get along, but they get along better where the weather is nice. Although oregano will grow in everything from clay to wet sand, and appears in relatively infertile places in the wild, cultivated oregano does best in light loam with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. In soil that tends to be acidic, working in a sprinkling of wood ashes or dolomitic limestone is a good idea. (Remember those chalk-lands.) If the soil is heavy, add sand or perlite, because oregano needs good drainage. Grow oregano in full sun, except in the South where it will tolerate some shade. For container growing, use any standard, packaged potting mix, preferably one that does not include fertilizer, adding a sprinkling of dolomitic limestone or a handful of wood ashes to counter the acidity of the peat moss that is the basis of virtually all potting mixes. If the potting mix seems heavy, add also a handful of sand or perlite per 6-inch pot to insure good drainage. In cold, too-wet potting mix, oreganos refuse to spread their roots they pout and rot.

You can grow oregano from seed, order plants from catalogs, or buy plants at nurseries. While growing from seed produces the least reliable results, because oreganos dont always come true from seed, you may enjoy the experiment and you will get lots of plants, at least some of which will be what you want, or will turn out to be so interesting they will become what you want.

You can sow oregano seed outside directly where it is to grow, or start it inside to transplant in late spring. The seed is very fine so prepare an outside seed bed with extra sand and rake smooth. Growers differ in their opinions of best times to sow outside. Ideal germination temperature is about 70F., which means youll see fastest germination if you wait until the ground has thoroughly warmed up before sowing. Other growers have had success sowing the seed anytime after the temperature stabilizes at about 50F. Scatter the seed thinly and gently tamp in with the back of a hoe but do not cover oregano seed germinates better with light.

Indoors, you have several options for starting oregano seed. The old-time way is to fill flats with damp sphagnum moss, sprinkle the seeds on top, cover the flat with glass, and place in a warm place. Several seed-starting systems now on the market can help indoor sowers achieve greater success. A few I have tried are listed on page 6. Any of these seed-starting systems except the APS can be set on a propagation mat for gentle bottom heat which speeds germination.