Hi all,

I have a greek oregano plant that I got early this year. I planted it one spot that wasn't the greatest, then transplanted it into my main bed near the cukes as I heard they were companion plants.

We had 1 light frost that killed off the squash and toms, but the oregano was unscathed. It is currently a bunch about 10-12 inches across.

I do want to harvest as much as I can before the hard winter starts in, and at some point want to divide the plant so I have 2.

Given it was transplanted twice this year, I was thinking to leave it be and maybe divided next spring/fall -

Question 1- when is the best time of year/plant conditions to divide oregano??

Question 2- when weather-wise should I do the main harvest, and how much needs to be left on the plant?

Thanks for any answers!

In your zone, I personally would wait until spring to divide & replant it again. While oregano is a real trooper, it's getting kind of late in the season for it to really recover well before the hard-hitting weather moves in. Next spring, as soon as you see the first signs of new growth, trim off any old dead stems & go ahead & divide & replant as you wish. I think you'll get much better results than if you did it now.

As far as harvest, once again, at this time of year I wouldn't harvest more than approx. 1/3 of the plant, especially since this is Greek oregano which, like all Mediterranean herbs, definitely benefits from a little more TLC than many of the oregano hybrids on the market that were raised in moister more temperate zones & thus can sometimes take a bit more abuse. Even then, I always find it's best late in the season to err a little on underharvesting & have a more robust plant next spring.

But keep in mind that this has just been my experience in Zone 6/7 with oregano. Other folks may feel I'm too cautious.

I grow Greek Oregano, and by the way mine looks now I would leave it alone and not transplant it (I am in the same zone as you are).

Spring may be a better time to divide it and relocate it.
As for harvest, I start collecting oregano sprigs when they are long enough for me to tie them into a bundle, so I can hang them to dry. I cut them down almost to ground level, one sprig at the time (never pull!), but I leave all the short--under 2 inch--stems in place.
Usually this is done by the month of June/July, but I can do several cuttings as the season progresses, although I have to say that I like to leave some flowering branches on the plant because they are pretty and attract many pollinators.