Herb · Lamiaceae
Sweet Marjoram
Origanum majorana
Give it full sun and dry feet, and sweet marjoram will reward you with one of the kindest, gentlest flavors any beginner can grow.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
60–90 days
Overview
Sweet marjoram is a tender cousin of oregano in the mint family, and it is one of the most forgiving herbs you can pick for a first try. Its soft, sweet, faintly piney leaves come from a plant that grew up around the warm Mediterranean, which quietly tells you what it longs for: sun, warmth, and soil that drains fast. Those rounded, knot-like flower clusters dotted along each stem are the reason people call it knotted marjoram and pot marjoram.
Where it truly shines is the kitchen rather than the border. The flavor is milder and sweeter than oregano, and it softens once the plant blooms, so the happy little secret is to keep picking. Pinch the stems often and you are rewarded with bushier growth and a longer stretch of tender, aromatic leaves, and you can hardly go wrong.
This is an easy, good-natured herb that asks almost nothing of you and forgives the odd slip. It shrugs off a dry spell once it has settled in, though it will not stand for wet feet or frost. Set it in a sunny bed or a pot you can carry, and it hands you months of flavor before the cold closes the season, so you can garden with confidence.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, light well-drained soil, and water only once the top half has dried. Feed it now and then, harvest before it flowers, and simply keep it clear of cold, soggy ground.
Light
Marjoram longs for full sun, ideally six hours a day or more, and that steady light is what keeps the leaves full of the aromatic oil you are after. It will put up with a little partial sun, but the brighter the spot, the sweeter the flavor and the tidier the growth, so give it the sunniest place you have.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry out before you water again, because this herb copes with a dry spell far better than it copes with wet feet. Once it has settled in it needs very little from you. Cold, soggy soil is the quickest route to rotten roots, so when in doubt, lean toward the dry side and you will be fine.
Soil
Plant it in well-drained sandy loam or loam, and the lighter and faster-draining, the happier it will be. It is easygoing about pH across a wide band from 6.5 to 8.0 and does not mind the alkaline end, which suits a plant with such Mediterranean roots.
Temperature
Marjoram is at its best between 50°F and 86°F (10°C to 30°C) and genuinely loves the warmth. It carries no cold hardiness worth counting on, so even a light frost will bring it down, which is nothing to worry about as long as you plan for it.
Humidity
It leans toward low humidity, around 30% to 50%, in keeping with its dry-country beginnings. Still, damp air invites rot and mildew, so give the plant a little elbow room and let a breeze pass through, and it will stay healthy.
Feeding
This is a gentle light feeder that wants no more than a single balanced feed in spring. Keep a light hand, since too much nitrogen pushes soft leafy growth and thins the aromatic oil that gives the leaves their lovely flavor.
Pruning
Pinch and pick the leaves often, before the knot-like flower clusters open, and you keep the foliage sweet and the plant nicely bushy. Trim back any leggy or woody stems too, and fresh tender growth soon follows, so there is no such thing as harvesting too much.
Repotting
Marjoram hardly ever needs repotting and is quite content growing a bit snug. Only pot it up when you notice roots circling the pot or poking out of the drainage holes, or when it dries out surprisingly fast after a watering.
Size & spacing
It stays a compact little thing, reaching 8 to 18 inches (20 to 45 cm) tall with a spread of 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm). Leave each plant a bit of breathing room so air moves freely and the leaves stay dry and healthy.
When to plant
Marjoram is frost-tender and simply waits for warmth, so there is no rush. Start your seeds indoors in late winter, set the young plants out only once the last frost has passed and the soil has warmed, and pick right through summer, gathering the leaves before the knot-like flowers open and soften the flavor.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: After all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed
- Harvest: Harvest leaves before or as the knot-like flower clusters open in summer for best flavor
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 9–10
Temperature: down to -7°C
Troubleshooting
Marjoram rarely gives you real trouble, and when it does the cause is almost always too much water or a chill, both of which you can put right. Keep a friendly eye on the leaves and the base of the plant for the earliest hints. Match what you see below and step in early, and things stay easy.
Wilting plant, blackened stem bases, and soft roots
When the stems darken at the base and the roots turn soft, that is root and stem rot, and it comes from soil sitting cold and wet around the crown. A plant this far gone cannot be nursed back, so lift out the worst and let it go without guilt. Ease off the watering, let the soil dry, and move any pots into a mix that drains more freely, and the survivors will settle again.
Fix:
- Stop watering and allow soil to dry
- Improve drainage or move container plants to faster-draining mix
- Remove and discard severely affected plants
Whole plant blackens and collapses after a cold snap
Marjoram is frost-tender, so a single freeze can blacken and finish the whole plant in one night, and that is simply its nature rather than a failure on your part. Keep it in a pot you can carry indoors before the cold comes, or just start fresh in spring. Where winters bite, the easiest approach is to grow it as an annual and enjoy it while it lasts.
Fix:
- Replant after danger of frost in spring
- Grow in containers that can be moved indoors before frost
Leaves turn bitter as the knot-like flowers begin
This is nothing you did wrong. As flowering begins the plant channels its energy into those rounded, knot-like flower clusters and its seed, and the leaves lose a little of their sweetness. Nip the buds off as soon as you spot them to slow that down. The kindest thing you can do is harvest and dry the leaves before the plant reaches full bloom.
Fix:
- Pinch off developing flower clusters
- Harvest and dry leaves before full bloom
Curled or stippled leaves, tiny insects, or fine webbing
Take heart, because this usually means only aphids gathering on the tender new tips, or spider mites that arrive when the air goes hot and dry. Give the plant a firm rinse from the hose, then wet the leaf undersides with insecticidal soap. Any shoot that is truly overrun can simply be snipped away, and the plant recovers.
Fix:
- Rinse plants with a strong jet of water
- Apply insecticidal soap, covering leaf undersides
- Remove heavily infested shoots
Toxicity
Marjoram is a kitchen herb, perfectly safe for you and your family to cook with and eat. The one thing to know is the aromatic essential oils in the leaves, which can leave a pet with a mild stomach upset if it eats a real mouthful. Just keep a pot up out of reach of any cat or dog that likes to nibble at greenery, and all is well.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
Should a curious cat chew down a real mouthful, you might see a little drool, some of it brought back up, and a soft stool soon after. The aromatic oils do the irritating, and a pinch left on your dinner plate is nothing to fret over.
Dogs Mild
A dog that tears into the plant may end up with a queasy stomach, a bout of vomiting, or loose stools, and none of it tends to last. The small amounts used in cooking slip by without any bother at all.
Horses Mild
Those same essential oils can upset a horse's gut if it grazes down a genuine mouthful, so keep an eye out for a bit of mild diarrhea or a dull appetite. A few stray sprigs are harmless.
Rabbits Mild
A rabbit that overdoes it on the leaves may end up with soft stools or a touch of bloating from the strong oils. It is safest to hand over just a small sprig now and then rather than let it graze the whole plant.
Livestock Mild
Goats, sheep, and cattle almost never go looking for it, and even a big feed of the aromatic foliage would only bring on a passing spell of digestive upset.
Birds Mild
Pet and backyard birds usually steer clear of the pungent leaves, and a heavy nibble would, at worst, leave one with a brief upset stomach.
People Safe
For the family, marjoram is simply a kitchen herb, safe to cook with and eat in any amount you would sensibly use. There is nothing here you need to keep away from anyone.
Aromatic essential oils in the leaves can mildly irritate a pet's digestive tract if large amounts are chewed.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Only a couple of marjorams tend to show up in home gardens, and the choice really comes down to flavor and how much cold each can take. Here are the two worth getting to know.
Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana)
This is the everyday culinary kind, prized for a gentle sweet scent carrying a faint pine note, and its rounded, knotted flower clusters are exactly what earned it the name knotted marjoram.
Hardy/Italian marjoram (Origanum × majoricum)
Bred from a cross with oregano, this one stands up to more cold and carries a sharper, more pungent flavor than true sweet marjoram.
How to propagate
Marjoram is a joy to multiply, and whether you sow a tray from seed or root a handful of cuttings from a plant you already have, success comes easily.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost, or sow outdoors after the soil warms · About 1-2 weeks to germinate; transplant outdoors after frost
Seed is the friendliest way in for most growers, and you can start a tray indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or scatter it straight outside once the soil warms. The seed is very fine, so rest it on the surface or barely dust it with soil and keep it warm and lightly damp. Give it about 1 to 2 weeks and it sprouts, and once frost has passed the little seedlings move happily outdoors.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring through summer from non-flowering shoots · Roughly 2-4 weeks to root
If you have a plant you already love, you can copy it from cuttings taken any time from late spring through summer. Pick out non-flowering shoots, snip the tips, strip away the lower leaves, and settle them into a moist, well-drained mix. Roots come along in roughly 2 to 4 weeks, so patience is all it really asks.
Myths
Marjoram and oregano are the same plant.
In truth they are two separate species that happen to share a genus. Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) comes across sweeter and milder than common oregano (Origanum vulgare), and it surrenders to the cold much sooner. They may look alike, yet they cook and grow quite differently.
Marjoram is dangerously poisonous to cats and dogs.
You can relax on this one, since the ASPCA rates it a mild stomach irritant rather than a serious poison. A pet that eats a genuine mouthful might vomit or get loose stools, but the pinch you cook with poses no threat at all. The risk stays mild and only shows up when a lot is eaten.