How to start herbs from seeds – Rosemary and Oregano

Some of our member herbgardeners asked me how I seed start my herbs. So I have been planning for a while now to create a video about the simple and easy method I use for starting my new batches of herbs.

In this video I briefly explain my steps.

In short what I explain in the video:

With the potting mix ready for use, we are set to start sowing Rosemary and Oregano, two lovely herbs deserving a place in every herb garden.

I like to use a relative large size of pots to start my seeds. It allows me to keep them longer in the same pot and I don’t have to replant them too quickly. But that is of course a personal choice. Most people may use smaller pots or seeding trays. That is just fine, as well.

The process is really simple.

When everything is ready, I start by filling the plastic pots with soil. I usually fill the pot loosely with soil till the top, and then I compress gently with my thumb some soil to the sides of the pot. I do this to avoid big air pockets in the soil. Next I fill up the pot a second time, until it is completely filled with soil.

When filled the pots are ready for receiving the seeds. People are always asking how many seeds to I put together in one pot. There is no law of nature telling me this of course, but I don’t mind putting several seeds in one cup. With rosemary, I go for 3 to 6 in a pot cell, I can always divide them up later. So I put them on the soil or scrape them in just below the surface with a toothpick or some small stick, about a quarter of an inch, just make sure the seeds are covered up.

After that I press the top layer of the soil gently, to make sure the seeds are covered up and make contact with the surrounding soil.

Same procedure for the oregano: Filling the pots with soil, I thumb pack the soil into the cells to get a nice solid starting base without any airpockets, filling the pots up to the top. Again here, for Oregano, I don’t mind overseeding a bit, because Oregano seeds are really, really tiny and because we want bushy herbs to grow and to harvest, so I willl sow 20-30 seeds per cell. I will pinch the seeds and just scatter them around across the top of the soil mix. Next I tuck them in again,  and I gently compress the soil.

To finish up, I mark the pots with name and date sticks, I apply a first bottom watering for 20 minutes, and after removing the remaining water, they are ready to go in my seed starting station with grow lights.

So that is how I do it, I hope this was helpful to you and it may help you being successful with herb seeds as well,

If you have a question, let me know in the comments. Good luck with your herbs!

You want to learn more about seed starting herbs?

I have created an ebook filled with useful info and explanations: https://www.amazingherbgarden.com/herb-books/

Don’t hesitate to give me your thoughts or questions in the comments below or on our Youtube channel.