Sweet marjoram

Sweet marjoram: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Soft, bushy herb, 30–50 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide, with thin, branching stems.

Leaf

Small, oval, 1–2 cm, grey-green and finely hairy, with a sweet, warm scent.

Flower

Tiny white to pale pink flowers between rounded knots of grey-green bracts, from July to September.

Scent

Sweet and spicy, gentler than oregano; strongest just before flowering.

Roots

Fine and shallow; they cannot cope with wet soil.

Flowering: July–September · Harvest and fruit: June–September · Sowing: March–May · Plants: May–June

Why grow it?

• A sweet, refined culinary herb, milder than oregano.
• Easy to sow and quickly ready to harvest.
• Flowers in summer with tiny blooms for bees and butterflies.
• Compact enough for a pot or trough on a sunny terrace.
• Dries well for winter use.

Sweet marjoram: where does it grow best?

• Full sun, in a warm, sheltered spot.
• Light, well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay with some grit, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; never waterlogged.
• In a pot or trough: a pot with a drainage hole and herb compost with some sand added.
• Allow 20–25 cm between plants.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -2 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Thyme: Likes the same sun and dry, chalky soil.
• Sage: A Mediterranean neighbour with grey leaves and the same needs.
• Summer savory: Another warmth-loving culinary herb for the same sunny trough.
• Lavender: Together a fragrant herb corner for bees and butterflies.

Sweet marjoram: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Sow indoors in March–April on seed compost; just press the fine seed in and do not cover it, as it needs light to germinate.
2. Keep the tray in good light, moist and at 15–20 °C; the seed germinates in one to two weeks.
3. Prick out the seedlings in groups of three or four into small pots.
4. Plant out after mid-May, once night frosts are over, 20–25 cm apart. In May you can also sow directly outdoors.
5. Water when planting and after that only in dry spells.

Care

Water

Moderately: let the soil dry out between waterings. Wet feet make it rot.

Feeding

Little or none; the flavour is strongest in poor soil.

Pinching out

Pinch out young plants a few times so they branch and become bushier.

Harvesting

Cut the tips just before flowering, when the flavour is strongest. Dry in bunches in an airy, shady place.

Pot

In a pot it dries out quickly: check daily whether the compost is dry, but do not leave water in the saucer.

Tip: Give it the warmest spot in your herb garden, in a pot or between paving: the more sun, the stronger its scent and flavour.

Sweet marjoram: when to prune it?

When: Marjoram is not really pruned: regular harvesting keeps it compact.

How:

• Each time you harvest, cut just above a pair of leaves: it branches again from there.
• Take the biggest harvest in July, just before flowering; new leaves follow.
• Leave a few stems to flower for bees and butterflies.
• If you overwinter it indoors, remove the dead stems in spring.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Indoors in March–April, without covering the seed; or outdoors where it is to grow in May.

Cuttings

In summer, take 5–8 cm tip cuttings from non-flowering shoots and root them in a small pot of gritty compost.

Division

An overwintered plant can be divided into two or three pieces in spring.

Sweet marjoram: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it dies after a few degrees of frost. Here it is usually grown as an annual.
• To keep it, pot it up in autumn and bring it indoors to a bright, cool place at 5–10 °C.
• In winter, water sparingly and do not feed.
• Dry or freeze a supply of leaves in late summer for winter use.

Diseases and pests

• Damping off: Seedlings collapse and rot at the base. Do not sow too thickly, do not overwater and ventilate the tray.
• Root rot: A yellow, limp plant in wet soil. Provide light, well-drained soil or a pot with a drainage hole.
• Aphids: On the tips, especially on plants indoors. Hose them off.
• Red spider mite: Finely mottled, dull leaves on plants indoors in dry air. Mist the foliage and move the plant somewhere cooler.

Through the year

• March: Sow indoors, without covering.
• April: Sow indoors. Prick out seedlings.
• May: After mid-May, plant out or sow outdoors.
• June: Planting. Pinch out the tips.
• July: Harvest just before flowering. Flowering begins.
• August: Flowering. Harvest and dry.
• September: Last harvest. Pot up a plant to overwinter indoors.
• October: Bring indoors before frost or clear away.

Edible and useful

Leaves (June–September)

Cut the leafy tips and flower buds from June to September, just before or as flowering begins, when the scent is strongest. Sweet marjoram is sweeter and gentler than oregano (wild marjoram). Add it at the end of cooking, as long cooking drives off its aroma: in pea soup, potatoes, tomato sauce, minced meat, sausages and with beans.

Storing

Marjoram dries very well and keeps almost all its flavour. Hang small bunches upside down somewhere airy and dark, rub off the leaves and buds once they rustle and store them in a closed jar for up to a year. Fresh marjoram can also be chopped and frozen in olive oil.

Caution: As a kitchen herb, marjoram is safe. During pregnancy do not drink large amounts of marjoram tea, and never swallow the essential oil. Marjoram is not hardy: sow it again each spring or overwinter it indoors. People allergic to the mint family (mint, sage, thyme) may also react to marjoram.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Potato soup with marjoram (Dish · 4 people · 40 min)
• Marjoram butter (Other · ± 125 g · 10 min + 1 hr chilling)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Because of the little knots of bracts around the flowers it is also called knotted marjoram in English.
• Marjoram and oregano belong to the same genus, Origanum; marjoram is sweeter and milder.
• In Germany marjoram is also called Wurstkraut, ‘sausage herb’, because it is widely used in sausages there.