500+Italian Oregano Seeds(Origanum vulgare) Heirloom Healthy Tasty Pizza Herb USA

Vulgare Oregano is the very popular "pizza herb" that is widely used in Italian, Greek and Mexican cooking. The leaves can be used fresh or dried and will add warm spicy flavor to your favorite recipes. This herb has bright blue-green leaves that should be harvested before the flowers appear.

Sowing

Start Italian Oregano Herb seeds indoors about 2 months before the last spring frost, sowing them just below the surface of the soil and keeping the temperature at 65-70 degrees F. Provide at least six hours of sunlight, and keep the soil moist when the seedlings appear. Transplant them as soon as they grow big enough to handle or after the last chance of frost, spacing them 12-15" apart. Oregano thrives in fairly dry soil and full sun. To direct sow, plant Origanum Vulgare seeds and thin the seedlings to 12-15" apart. As a companion plant, Oregano repels the harmful cabbage butterfly. This herb also grows well as a container plant.

Growing

Oregano actually has the most flavorful taste if left alone, with minimal watering and no fertilization. For the best tasting leaves, keep the tops pruned to prevent flowering and to keep the leaves tender.

Harvesting

Fresh leaves can be harvested as soon as the plant reaches a height of 6". The best time for harvesting leaves is in the morning after the dew has dried. Harvest entire stalks by cutting them at least 1" above the ground to allow for new growth. Fresh leaves will keep in the refrigerator for about five days, but can also be frozen or dried. Because heat tends to destroy the flavor of oregano, it should be added to hot food immediately before serving. Unlike most herbs, dried oregano leaves tend to have a much stronger flavor than fresh ones.