VeggieHarvest

Treat rosemary with respect; it can easily overpower more delicate herbs. Rosemary is traditionally used with lamb or pork, as well as in tea; it's also excellent combined with a little lemon juice and chopped parsley and sprinkled on chicken before it's baked. Rosemary is one of the traditional strewing herbs; in the language of flowers its message is "remember."

Where to Grow

Rosemary can handle climates a bit below freezing and tolerates cold better in a sandy, well- drained location, but it's not very hardy north of Washington, D.C. If your climate is cold, plan on mulching it for winter protection.

Soil

Like most herbs, rosemary is most fragrant and full of flavor if it's grown in well-drained, sandy soil that's high in organic matter but not over-rich. Less than ideal conditions improve its fragrance. Very fertile soil will produce beautiful plants but decrease the production of the aromatic oils on which the plant's fragrance depends. Don't fertilize the soil if you're planting rosemary, except maybe if you're growing it as a perennial in a mild winter climate. In this case, work a low-nitrogen (5-10-10) fertilizer into the soil before planting at the rate of about a half pound per 100 square feet.

When

To grow rosemary from seed, start the seeds indoors or in a cold frame four to six weeks before your average date of last frost. Two weeks after the average date of last frost, transplant them to a location in full sun with a foot or more between the plants and 18 to 24 inches between rows.

How

Rosemary is commonly started from stem cuttings or by layering. It can be propagated from seed, but germination is very slow (25 days at 65°F).Pot a rosemary plant from the garden in fall and bring it into the house for winter use. In the spring take stem cuttings to propagate your new crop.

Culture

Do not fertilize at mid-season. If the weather is dry, water regularly to keep the soil moist, and keeping the roots from drying out.

How it grows

Rosemary is a strongly flavored half hardy evergreen shrub. It's a perennial, but in areas with very cold winters it's grown as an annual. With its aromatic, needle shaped, blue-green leaves, it is easily identifiable. Different varieties are available, tall upright kinds and tumbling prostrate forms. Not all are very hardy, so choose carefully. It produces pale blue, white or pink flowers in late spring and it varies in height from 2 to 5 feet, depending on the variety.

Harvest

You can take some of the leaves, which look like short pine needles, and use them fresh any time you want them. Growth can be pruned back several times during a season. Dry the leaves and store them in airtight containers.

Pests

Rosemary has no serious problems with pests.

Disease

Rosemary has no notable concerns with diseases.