Oregano

Water sparingly - oregano wants it dry

Once established, give oregano little to moderate water and let the soil surface dry between waterings. Keep it out of the reach of lawn sprinklers and off any spot that stays wet. Oregano is a heat and drought tolerant Mediterranean plant, and a soil surface kept damp is what invites root rot along with the snails, slugs, and sowbugs that shelter there.

Divide the clump every three to four years

In spring, lift the plant every three or four years once the center has gone woody, split the crown into rooted pieces, and replant the vigorous outer sections 10 to 12 inches apart. Discard the spent woody middle. An oregano clump grows outward and the old center turns to bare wood, so dividing it resets the planting to young rooted growth and is also the free way to expand your patch.

Pinch the tips once shoots reach six inches

When new shoots are about six inches long, pinch out the growing tips. Keep pinching and harvesting through the season rather than letting stems run. Pinching a tip releases the buds below it, so each stem forks into several - that is what turns a thin sprawling plant into a dense mound of pickable leaves.

Clear out the old woody stems at winter's end

Late in winter, before new growth pushes, cut out the old wood that has gone leggy and bare. Leave the low growth that will carry this year's shoots. Oregano lays down woody stems that stop producing good leaves, and removing them before the plant breaks dormancy sends the season's growth into fresh tender shoots instead.

Cut oregano just before the flowers open

Once the flower buds show but before the plant is in full flower, cut stems back hard - you can take up to three quarters of the current season's growth in a single harvest. Strip the leaves, or hang small bundles in a ventilated paper bag indoors to dry. The aromatic oils that carry oregano's flavor concentrate in the leaves as the plant builds toward bloom and then thin out once it flowers and puts its energy into seed.