In the US, oregano is known as a Mediterranean herb that packs a punch in the flavor department. But did you know that oregano is also one of the most resilient plants on earth? It survives frost and cold weather better than most other herbs and has been used for thousands of years as both a culinary herb and medicine. So if you’re wondering whether or not your oregano will survive frost… well, let’s get into it!
Can Oregano Survive Frost?
Oregano is a perennial herb that can survive frost, but not extreme temperatures. It is a Mediterranean plant, so it prefers milder weather. The best way to protect your oregano from freezing is to bring it indoors in the winter and keep it in a sunny spot indoors.
If you decide to leave your oregano outside over the winter, make sure that it can get some sun because this will give it the energy it needs to grow during cold climates. If your oregano is still green when winter comes around, leave them outside as long as possible until there’s no growth left on them at all or until they start freezing completely – whichever comes first!
How Tolerant Are Oregano To Cold Weather
Oregano is a hardy plant that can survive a light frost. The leaves will turn brown and curl, but the plant itself will continue to produce new growth in the spring. You can still harvest oregano from your garden after it has been hit by a light frost—just make sure you don’t break off any branches when you pick your leaves!
The main problem with growing oregano in colder climates is that oregano does not tolerate freezing temperatures well at all. If you live anywhere where there’s even a possibility of freezing weather (which means pretty much everywhere except for Florida and southern California), then we recommend growing perennial herbs instead of annuals like oregano.
How To Protect Your Oregano From Frost
There are numerous ways to protect your oregano from frost. The best way to do this is to cover the plants in a blanket or tarp, or bring them inside. You might try keeping your oregano plants in a greenhouse, shed, or garage during the winter months. If you have enough space available to keep them indoors all year round, that’s another option!
Bringing pots of oregano inside for the winter is another effective way of protecting them from frost damage. Simply place the pot on an indoor windowsill where it’ll get plenty of sun during daylight hours and then take it back outside once it warms up again (which will probably be around March or April).
If you’re unable to bring your plants indoors for whatever reason but still want to protect them from freezing temperatures (or at least prolong their growing season), consider covering them with plastic wrap until warmer weather arrives again.
This does two things: It protects against frost when temperatures drop below freezing, and it helps maintain moisture levels during periods when rain isn’t falling regularly enough—as well as preventing unwanted moisture loss through evaporation—so that roots don’t dry out too much while waiting patiently underground.
Caring For Oregano During The Winter
Oregano is a perennial plant, which means that it comes back year after year. But come winter, you might need to make some adjustments to keep it alive until spring.
Here are our top tips for keeping your oregano alive through the cold months:
1. Put it in a sunny window. If you’re lucky enough to have a south-facing window that gets plenty of light, put your oregano there. If not, try putting it near a sunny window or under some lamps or lights that mimic sunlight—that way you’ll be sure it’s getting enough energy (and water!) to survive while it waits for springtime.
2. Water it regularly. Oregano doesn’t like being too dry, so make sure you give it enough water to keep its roots wet but not soggy; if possible, use rainwater or distilled water instead of tap water so that mineral buildups don’t build up on the leaves and affect their appearance or taste when used in cooking later on down the line.
What Temperatures Will Kill Oregano?
If you’re looking to grow oregano in your garden, you might be wondering what the minimum temperature is at which it will survive.
The answer is 10 degrees Fahrenheit (or -12 degrees Celsius). This is the point at which oregano will begin to die off completely. In areas where temperatures regularly drop below this threshold—the northern United States and Canada, for example—it would be tough to maintain an oregano plant since they won’t survive below-freezing conditions.
But even if your area doesn’t regularly get down to single digits, there’s a good chance that it gets cold at some point in the year; so if you want to use oregano as a culinary herb or for medicinal purposes, chances are good that sooner or later it’ll experience frost damage.
Once temperatures dip below 25 degrees Fahrenheit (or -4 degrees Celsius), oregano plants start going dormant instead of dying outright—their growth slows as they prepare themselves for winter’s chill by slowing down their metabolism and lowering their need for water and nutrients until spring comes around again in order to reawaken from their hibernation state with renewed vigor!
Can I Overwinter Oregano?
If you want to grow oregano in your garden but live in a colder climate, the best way to do it is by overwintering. This means that you don’t give up on your plants when winter hits; instead, you keep them alive through the cold weather.
You can actually grow oregano indoors year-round if you wish without much effort at all! It’s easy enough to do this during summer months as well (just place some potting soil into pots or planters and add some seeds), so why not try doing it year-round?
If you have an extra room where the temperatures don’t fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16°C), that would be ideal. If not, then just make sure there’s some sort of heating source nearby—like a space heater or electric blanket—and provide adequate light for 12 hours per day at least six months out of every year (usually just during daylight hours).
Conclusion
With a little preparation, your oregano can survive the cold weather. You can even overwinter your plant if you live in an area where there’s a long winter season. The key is knowing what to do during the fall months when temperatures start dropping so that your plants are ready when it comes time for spring planting!
