Gardening Advice: Instruction for Growing Rosemary
How to Grow Rosemary in Your Herb Garden
| Nutrition | Planting Instructions | Harvesting |
| Climate | Watering Instructions | Storage |
| Soil | Fertilizing Instructions | Tips |
Rosemary will grow as a very fragrant tender-perennial evergreen shrub, coming back for many seasons (if you're in a growing climate with mild winters). It has a fragrance similar to that of camphor and pine. As a culinary herb, Rosemary's flavor is often used as a compliment to lamb, poultry, fish and many vegetable dishes.
Rosemary symbolizes remembrance and fidelity. It was often included in bridal bouquets, and it was believed that if you tapped your lover with a fresh sprig of rosemary, he/she would stay true.
During the 15th century, rosemary branches were burnt within homes to ward off the black plague. In more modern times (during WWII), rosemary and juniper branches were burnt in French hospitals to limit the spread of infection.
Sleeping with a sprig of rosemary beneath your pillow is supposed to banish nightmares. In Spain, a folk tradition claimed that wearing a sprig of rosemary would offer the wearer protection from "the evil eye."
Legend has it that rosemary's flowers were originally white. On her flight to Egypt, the Virgin Mary threw her robe over a bush of rosemary as she rested. The flowers turned blue in her honor.
In the 16th & 17th Centuries, rosemary's wood was used to make lutes and carpenters rulers. Use the flowers of this herb to repel moths from your closets.
Nutrition Information & Uses (back to top)
Rosemary is one of the richer herbal sources of antioxidants. Rosemary is reputed to have the following properties: Anti-microbial, Aromatic, Astringent, Emmenagogue, Nervine, Rubefacient, Stimulant, Parasitic
Internally, rosemary tea can have a calming effect on digestion, and is also used as a remedy for tension or stress. Externally, it is used in oils to help ease muscular pain, sciatica, and neuralgia. It is also included in some popular topical headache remedies. Some use it as a stimulant to hair follicles for treatment of premature baldness. It is a popular ingredient in hair tonics and shampoos. Rosemary's volatile oils have been used in treatments for asthma, as they can reduce the airway constriction.
Rosemary is a good companion plant for beans, cabbage, carrots and sage. It's aroma is believed to help keep beetles, moths and flies away from these plants!
Climate & Growing Conditions (back to top)
Rosemary will grow best in a sheltered, but sunny (to partial sun) location.
Gardening Advice Tip: In gardening climates with cold winters (below freezing), keep your rosemary plant as part of your container garden, moving it indoors for the winter.
If gardening rosemary out-of-doors in hot climates, consider using a mulch around the base of the plant to help it keep it’s roots cool.
How to Prepare the Herb Garden Soil (back to top)
Rosemary prefers light, well-drained gardening soils. Add sand, well-rotted manure, and compost to your garden soil for this herb to grow to its fullest! Dig your garden bed deeply before planting. For optimal growing conditions, the garden soil pH should be between 5.0 and 6.0 for rosemary. (Information on how to test your garden soil pH level)
How to Plant Rosemary (back to top)
Growing this herb from seed can be difficult and the results somewhat unpredictable. It’s best to grow rosemary by taking cuttings and growing new plants from them. In the late summer (or early fall), take cuttings by trimming off well-established side shoots that are at least 8” long. Snip the bottom leaves from the stem (don’t pull them off, or you’ll damage the stem).
Many gardeners find that placing the cuttings in a glass of water will cause the plant to form roots. However, for your best chance at success, dip the bottom ½” of the stems in a root-inducing hormone powder (available online, at garden centers, and even Wal-Mart). Shake off the excess powder, and plant in a light planting mixture of perlite and peat moss (essentially, a seed-starting type mixture). The soil mixture should be lightly damp, but not wet. Using a spray bottle to water works best. Your new rosemary plant's roots should form within 3 weeks. To speed up the process, place a heat source below the rooting bed. Once the cuttings have established roots, you can then transplant them into containers. By spring, the plants will be established enough that you can move them out doors, if desired.
Gardening Advice Tip: Be sure to pinch off the terminal bud (the main shoot’s top) and the tips of the plant’s shoots, to encourage it to branch out (rather than growing straight up and straggly). Prune your rosemary bushes once a year, as soon as the flowers have faded. Pruning will help your rosemary plant grow more compactly.
How to Water (back to top)
Let the soil dry out in between waterings. Too much water will harm the roots.
How to Fertilize (back to top)
For established rosemary plants, in the spring, apply a dose of a complete fertilizer to the soil at the base of the plant and water in.
How to Harvest Rosemary (back to top)
Once the leaves are large enough to use, you can harvest rosemary, as you need it. Make sure that you leave plenty of leaves still on the plant, to help the plant continue to grow.
Gardening Advice Tip: The leaves are reportedly at their height in flavor just before the rosemary plant flowers.
How to Dehydrate Rosemary (back to top)
You can dehydrate (dry) rosemary by placing sprigs (spaced so that air can circulate well around them) on a screen in a well-ventilated dry location. Or you can use a dehydrator on it’s lowest setting. Make sure that the temperature of the dehydrator is at (or below) 100 degrees (F), or else you’ll risk destroying rosemary’s natural oils. Dried rosemary stores best in bottles or containers with lids, in a dark location (such as a cabinet).
How to Freeze Rosemary (back to top)
Freezing Rosemary is the closest way of preserving that you’ll find to that of the fresh rosemary taste and texture. It’s actually one of the simplest processes. First wash your rosemary sprigs. Then pat them dry. Once fully dry, place in containers and store in your freezer. To save space, you can remove them from the containers (once frozen), strip the leaves and store the leaves in space-saving containers in your freezer.
Gardening Advice Tips
Have a helpful gardening tip (or even a funny story) to share about your rosemary growing experience? Share it with us at: gardeningtips@howtogardenadvice.com
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