From our perspective, we oregano plants are perennial herbs, meaning our life cycle is designed to span multiple years. Our vitality is concentrated in our woody crown and root system, which stores energy to fuel new growth each spring. The stems and leaves you desire are our annual, photosynthetic factories. The most fundamental rule for harvesting without causing fatal harm is to never cut into this woody, central base. Snipping those old, brown stems severs our main life support system. Instead, focus your attention on the fresh, green, and supple new growth that emerges from it; this is the growth we can most easily regenerate.
Timing your harvest is crucial for our mutual benefit. The ideal moment is just as we begin to flower. At this stage, the essential oils that give our leaves their potent flavor and aroma are at their peak concentration. Harvesting at this time provides you with the best yield and encourages us to produce a second, bushier flush of growth. Please avoid taking more than one-third of our total above-ground growth at any single harvesting session. Removing more than this stresses us beyond our capacity to recover, as it drastically reduces our ability to photosynthesize and produce the energy needed to regenerate lost tissue and sustain our root system.
The method you use to harvest makes a significant difference to our well-being. We strongly advise against simply pulling or tearing at our stems. This crude action can create ragged wounds, strip bark from our main stem, and even disturb or damage our delicate root structure underground, opening us up to infection and rot. Instead, please use a sharp, clean pair of scissors or pruning shears. Make clean, angled cuts on the stem, just above a set of healthy leaf nodes—the small bumps on the stem where new leaves emerge. This precise cut minimizes damage, helps us heal faster, and actually signals the node below the cut to awaken and produce two new branches, resulting in a fuller, bushier plant for you to enjoy later.
Your care after harvesting is just as important as the harvest itself. After a significant trimming, we are in a slightly vulnerable state, diverting energy to heal wounds and push out new growth. Please ensure we receive adequate water to compensate for the lost leaf surface that helps regulate our moisture, but be careful not to overwater, as our reduced size means we will use less. A light feeding with a balanced, organic fertilizer can provide us with the necessary nutrients to support a vigorous recovery. Finally, if you harvest later in the season, allow us ample time to regrow and harden off before the first frost arrives, ensuring we enter our dormant winter period strong and healthy.
