How to grow sweet marjoram

Origanum majorana · Lamiaceae · Herb

Sweet Marjoram is a warm-season herb in the Lamiaceae family, usually started indoors and set out as transplants. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and little supplemental water once established. From sowing to first pick is about 60–80 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: Sweeter and more delicate than oregano, and much less hardy - grown as an annual outside the mildest zones, or potted and brought indoors. Poor, dry soil and full sun give the best flavour. Surface-sow; the seed needs light.

Sowing

Sow barely covered — the seed needs light to germinate, into soil between 60–80°F — germination is quickest near 70°F. It is slow and often erratic to germinate (8–21 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 7 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 8″ along the row with roughly 10″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 8″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 8″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Sweet Marjoram needs roughly 60–80 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant sweet marjoram

Companions

Common problems

Pests: aphids, spider mite.

Diseases & disorders: root rot, damping off.

Same family (Lamiaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.