Crops › Rosemary
How to grow Rosemary
in the UK
Sow March to May, plant out June, harvest June to September. About 120 days from seed to plate.
Rosemary is a cracking herb, proper versatile in the kitchen, you know. It smells lovely on the breeze, tastes great in so many dishes, and honestly, it just looks nice on the plot. It's a proper Mediterranean plant, so it likes a bit of sun and good drainage.
Sowing
Right, Rosemary seeds can be a bit tricky to get going, to be honest. You'll want to sow them indoors, really, from March through to May. Just sprinkle the tiny seeds on top of some moist seed compost in a tray or small pots, don't cover them much, maybe just a real light dusting of vermiculite. They need light to germinate, you see. Keep 'em warm, around 18-21°C, on a sunny windowsill or in a heated propagator if you've got one. Germination can be slow, sometimes a few weeks, so don't give up on them.
Growing on
Once your seedlings are big enough to handle, with a couple of true leaves, carefully prick them out into individual small pots. Keep them sheltered and growing on. When the risk of the last frost has well and truly passed – usually mid to late May up here in the North, earlier down South – you can start hardening them off. Just pop them outside for a bit longer each day over a week or two. Then, plant them out in a sunny, well-drained spot on the plot, giving them about 60-90 cm between plants, or into a decent-sized pot. They do well in pots, mind.
Looking after it
Rosemary doesn't need a lot of fuss once it's settled in. Water it regularly when it's young, but once established, it's pretty drought-tolerant, especially in the ground. Overwatering is more of a problem than underwatering. No need for much feeding, just a sprinkle of general-purpose fertiliser in spring if your soil's a bit poor. Keep the weeds down around it, like.
What goes wrong
Honestly, Rosemary is usually a pretty tough cookie. We don't get many problems with it up on the allotment, which is a bonus. Sometimes, young plants might get a visit from aphids, but a quick blast with the hose usually sorts them out. Slugs aren't often interested, but keep an eye out for them if your patch is particularly damp. Good drainage is key to keeping it happy and healthy, you know.
Harvest
You can start harvesting Rosemary leaves from June right through to September, about 120 days after sowing if you started from seed. Just snip off sprigs as you need them. Don't take more than about a third of the plant at any one time, especially if it's young. It stores well in a cool, dry place, or you can pop it in the fridge wrapped in a damp paper towel. Freezes well too, you know, just snip the leaves off the stem first.
I always try and get a Rosemary plant near the path on my plot, just so I can brush past it and get that lovely smell. It always cheers me up, even on a grim day.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Arp A really hardy variety, good if your garden gets a bit of a chill. It's a cracking choice for beginners looking for a solid plant that won't let them down. | No club votes yet |
| Hill Hardy As the name suggests, this one's built to withstand colder temperatures better than some. Proper sturdy, great for exposed spots on the plot or in a big pot. | No club votes yet |
| Tuscan Blue A popular one, this, known for its lovely dark blue flowers and strong flavour. Grows into a nice upright bush, looks proper smart in a border. | No club votes yet |
| Salem This variety offers a good yield of fragrant leaves, perfect for all your cooking needs. It's a dependable grower, making it a good all-rounder for the allotment. | No club votes yet |
| Gorizia Gorizia is known for its broader leaves and vigorous growth, giving you plenty to harvest. It's a robust plant that can really make a statement in a sunny spot. | No club votes yet |
| Barbecue With its strong, straight stems, this one is just begging to be used on the grill. The flavour is fantastic, making it a must-have for summer cooking. | No club votes yet |
| Miss Jessopp’s Upright A classic, this one grows into a tall, narrow column, ideal if you're a bit short on space. It's very ornamental and still provides plenty of lovely leaves. | No club votes yet |
| Irene Irene is a lovely trailing type, great for hanging baskets or spilling over walls. It's a bit different and adds a nice touch to the edge of a raised bed. | No club votes yet |
| Severn Sea This variety is known for its beautiful blue flowers and a slightly arching habit. It's a good choice if you want something that looks pretty as well as being useful. | No club votes yet |
| Blue Spires As the name suggests, this one produces lovely blue flowers on upright stems. It's a really attractive plant that also has that proper strong rosemary scent. | No club votes yet |
| Benenden Blue This variety is noted for its delicate blue flowers and fine, needle-like leaves. It's a sturdy plant that performs well in most UK gardens. | No club votes yet |
| McConnell’s Blue A good all-round performer, offering a decent harvest and nice blue flowers. It's a reliable choice for anyone wanting a consistent supply of this cracking herb. | No club votes yet |
| Golden Rain This one stands out with its attractive golden-tipped foliage, adding a bit of colour to the plot. It's not just pretty though, the flavour is still spot on. | No club votes yet |
| Haifa Haifa is a prostrate (trailing) variety, perfect for ground cover or hanging over edges. It's quite robust and gives you plenty of sprigs to snip for the kitchen. | No club votes yet |
| Blue Boy A smaller, more compact variety, Blue Boy is ideal for pots or smaller spaces. Don't let its size fool you though, it still packs a punch with its flavour. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Rosemary seeds
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Cook the harvest
A one-tin weeknight roast that punches well above its effort level. Chicken thighs are rubbed with a rosemary, garlic and lemon paste that crisps beautifully in the oven, while the potatoes roast underneath, soaking up all the herby dripping. This is the kind of supper that becomes a household regular.
65 min · easyA deeply savoury, velvety Italian-style soup where rosemary is the central flavouring, cooked slowly in olive oil until it perfumes the whole pot. The butter beans give a creamy, luxurious body without any cream, and the garlicky fried breadcrumbs on top provide a satisfying crunch against every spoonful. This is genuinely one of the best things you can make with a tin of beans.
40 min · easyThe definitive rosemary roast potato — properly parboiled, roughed up in the colander to create craggy edges, then roasted in very hot goose fat or oil with whole rosemary sprigs until shatteringly crispy outside and fluffy within. The rosemary perfumes the fat and coats every craggy surface of the potatoes. These are the roast potatoes everyone fights over.
75 min · easyMeaty beef short ribs braised low and slow with a generous bunch of rosemary that infuses the whole cooking liquid with its piney, resinous fragrance. After four hours in the oven the meat pulls away from the bone in thick, silky shreds and the braising liquid has reduced to a glossy, herb-scented sauce. This is a showstopping dinner that needs minimal attention once it is in the oven.
270 min · mediumWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: marigolds, nasturtium
Questions people ask
When do you sow Rosemary in the UK?
Sow Rosemary from March to May. Plant out June, after the last frost.
How long does Rosemary take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 120 days, with the harvest June to September.
Which Rosemary varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Arp, Hill Hardy, Tuscan Blue, Salem and more.
Track your Rosemary from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.