When to plant Oregano
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Oregano in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Transplant outside | Apr 22–May 20 | Mar 24–Apr 21 | Feb 10–Mar 10 | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Oregano is a hardy perennial to USDA zone 4, per Colorado State University Extension's Herb Gardening guide (CMG GardenNotes #731), and it's typically bought as a nursery transplant rather than started from seed at home; CSU notes propagation by seed, cutting, or division can happen in either spring or fall.
Clemson Cooperative Extension's general rule for perennial herbs (Herbs, HGIC 1311) is to plant in fall or early spring so the plant establishes before summer heat sets in, a window that straddles the last-frost date rather than sitting strictly after it the way a tender annual's would. The two-week window either side of frost shown on this page reflects that straddle.
No source gives a days-to-maturity figure for oregano; as a perennial, it isn't rated that way in the first place.
Frost hardiness
Hardy. Tolerates hard frost. Can go in the ground before the last frost date.
Sourcing notes
Hardy perennial, USDA zones 4-9 (CSU). Typically grown from purchased transplants, division, or cuttings rather than home-started seed; CSU notes seed/cutting/division propagation happens 'in the spring or fall.' Clemson's general perennial-herb rule: plant in fall or early spring so plants establish before summer heat -- supports a window straddling the last-frost date rather than a strict post-frost rule. No sourced days-to-maturity figure (perennial, not typically rated by DTM).
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Herbs (HGIC 1311) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Colorado State University Extension, Colorado Master Gardener Program, Herb Gardening (CMG GardenNotes #731) (accessed 2026-08-04)