Crops › Rosemary
How to grow Rosemary
in the US
Sow March to May, plant out June, harvest May to September. About 120 days from seed to plate.
Shown for zone 6. Zone table further down.
Rosemary, it's a proper lovely herb, isn't it? That woody smell just takes you back, perfect with a bit of lamb or some roasted potatoes. It can be a bit of a challenge to get going from seed, to be honest, but once it's settled on the plot, you'll be chuffed with it.
Sowing
Rosemary seeds need a bit of warmth to get them going, so starting indoors is your best bet, especially if your growing season is shorter. Sow them shallow, just a quarter-inch deep, in seed trays or small pots filled with good seed compost. Keep them nice and warm, around 65-70°F (18-21°C), on a sunny windowsill or with a heat mat if you have one. Germination can be a bit slow and patchy, so don't give up on them. For zones 5-7, April or May is a good time, but check your local last frost date and the GrowMore CookMore app for precise timings in your USDA zone.
Growing on
Once your seedlings are big enough to handle – they'll have a few true leaves – carefully prick them out and pot them up into individual small pots. Give them a bit of time to grow on indoors, letting them get sturdy. Before planting out, you'll want to harden them off over a week or so, gradually getting them used to the outdoor conditions. Plant them out after all danger of frost has passed, spacing them about 18 to 24 inches apart, or pop them in a nice big container if you're short on space.
Looking after it
Rosemary likes well-drained soil and plenty of sun. Once established, it's pretty drought-tolerant, so don't overwater. A good drink once the topsoil feels dry is usually enough. You don't need to fuss much with feeding; a bit of compost around the base in spring will do the trick. Pinch out the tips when they're young to encourage a bushier plant, and keep an eye on it throughout the season.
What goes wrong
To be honest, rosemary is usually quite trouble-free once it's settled in. The main things to watch out for are aphids on the new growth, which you can just blast off with a bit of water. Slugs might have a nibble when the plants are small, like they do with everything, so keep an eye out and use your preferred slug control. Good airflow helps keep other issues away, so don't plant them too close together.
Harvest
You can start harvesting rosemary when the plant is well-established, usually about 120 days from sowing. Just snip off sprigs as you need them, always taking from the top or sides to encourage more bushy growth. Don't take more than about a third of the plant at once. It stores really well dried, or you can keep fresh sprigs in the fridge for a week or two. Cracking for so many dishes!
I always try to take a few cuttings of my favorite rosemary plants in late summer. It's an easy way to get new plants for next year, especially if you're like me and struggle a bit with the seeds.
Dates for your plot
Type your zone and the plant-out advice shifts to your frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Arp The Arp variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer. It’s known for its excellent cold hardiness, making it a good choice for those in cooler zones. | No club votes yet |
| Hill Hardy Hill Hardy is a reliable performer amongst rosemary varieties. This one lives up to its name, handling colder temperatures better than many other types. | No club votes yet |
| Tuscan Blue Tuscan Blue is a reliable performer, growing upright with deep blue flowers. It offers both beauty and a strong, aromatic flavor for your cooking. | No club votes yet |
| Salem The Salem variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer for any garden. This variety is known for being quite hardy and having a lovely fragrance, perfect for culinary use. | No club votes yet |
| Gorizia Gorizia is a reliable performer amongst rosemary varieties. It produces unusually long, wide leaves and has a robust flavor, great for skewers. | No club votes yet |
| Barbecue The Barbecue variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer. With stiff, straight stems, it’s ideal for use as skewers directly on the grill, imparting its aromatic taste. | No club votes yet |
| Miss Jessopp’s Upright Miss Jessopp’s Upright is a reliable performer, growing in a neat, upright column. This makes it a good choice for smaller spaces or containers on your patio. | No club votes yet |
| Irene The Irene variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer. It’s a trailing type, excellent for hanging baskets or cascading over walls, with good flavor too. | No club votes yet |
| Severn Sea Severn Sea is a reliable performer amongst rosemary varieties. This is another lovely trailing type, perfect for groundcover or spilling from pots, offering a nice aroma. | No club votes yet |
| Blue Spires The Blue Spires variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer. As the name suggests, it forms an upright, dense shrub with striking blue flowers and a strong aroma. | No club votes yet |
| Benenden Blue Benenden Blue is a reliable performer and a vigorous, upright plant. It has lovely clear blue flowers, adding beauty and fragrance to your garden. | No club votes yet |
| McConnell’s Blue McConnell’s Blue is a reliable performer amongst rosemary varieties. This is a compact, mounding variety, great for smaller gardens or pots, with pretty blue flowers. | No club votes yet |
| Golden Rain The Golden Rain variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer. It stands out with variegated leaves, offering a touch of golden color alongside its traditional rosemary scent. | No club votes yet |
| Haifa Haifa is a reliable performer amongst rosemary varieties. This is a low-growing, spreading type, perfect for groundcover or edges, with good drought tolerance. | No club votes yet |
| Blue Boy The Blue Boy variety of Rosemary is a reliable performer and a very compact, dwarf type. It's absolutely ideal for containers or rock gardens where space is tight. | 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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Sowing by USDA zone
| Zone | Sow / plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May | July to September |
| Zone 4 | April to May | June to September |
| Zone 5 | April to May | June to September |
| Zone 6 | March to May | May to September |
| Zone 7 | March to May | May to September |
| Zone 8 | February to May | April to September |
| Zone 9 | January to May | March to October |
| Zone 10 | December to May | March to October |
Cook the harvest
This Tuscan-style white bean soup relies on rosemary as its defining flavor — a whole sprig simmered with the beans and a second added at the end for freshness. The result is a deeply warming bowl that is simultaneously simple and complex, creamy from the beans without any dairy. A final drizzle of good olive oil and a handful of bread croutons make it a complete meal.
40 min · easyRosemary in a sweet shortbread is a revelation — the herb's piney, slightly camphor-like quality creates a beautiful savory-sweet tension that keeps people reaching for more cookies than they intended. These are buttery, crumbly, and fragrant, with just enough rosemary to be intriguing without being herbal. They pair exceptionally well with cheese, wine, or alongside a cup of Earl Grey.
38 min · easyHomemade rosemary-infused olive oil is one of the most useful things a cook can have on hand — it perfumes everything it touches, from bread dipping to pasta finishing to salad dressings. The key is a gentle warm infusion rather than heating to frying temperatures, which keeps the oil clean-tasting and the rosemary fragrant without any bitterness. One large batch lasts for weeks.
20 min · easyLamb and rosemary is one of the great flavor marriages in cooking — the herb's resinous, piney character cuts through the richness of the meat in a way that seems almost inevitable. These loin chops are marinated in rosemary, garlic, lemon, and olive oil then seared fast in a hot cast-iron pan to build a deep crust. The marinade does the work; the cooking is quick.
25 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: marigolds, nasturtium
Questions people ask
When do you sow Rosemary in the US?
Sow Rosemary from March to May in zone 6, earlier or later by zone. Plant out June, after the last frost.
How long does Rosemary take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 120 days, with the harvest May 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.