Mexican Oregano is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Notably, it stands up to deer, handles dry spells once it's established, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the harvest is the prize.
Mexican Oregano — the short answer
Mexican Oregano: full sun, pH 5.5–7, about 120 days to maturity.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 120 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 30°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Mexican Oregano on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether mexican oregano actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score mexican oregano against your land's real conditions.
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What Mexican Oregano is
Mexican Oregano grows as a perennial and reaches around six feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Mexican Oregano
Mexican Oregano is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Mexican Oregano does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7, on well-drained ground. It needs around 3,000 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
Data pending
Soil pH
5.5 - 7
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Days to Maturity
120 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
3000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
6 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant mexican oregano in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Mexican Oregano prefers pH 5.5 to 7 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Mexican Oregano is ready about 120 days after planting. Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Mexican Oregano thrives
Whether mexican oregano thrives on a given site comes down to its soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates — the conditions that vary parcel to parcel.
What grows around Mexican Oregano
Growing guides for mexican oregano
In rotation planning, mexican oregano counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — mexican oregano isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Mexican Oregano offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Before you harvest mexican oregano, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant mexican oregano for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Mexican Oregano's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Mexican Oregano will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether mexican oregano actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Mexican Oregano
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Mexican Oregano in my zone?
Zone data for mexican oregano is being finalized. A Growable Ground report checks your parcel's full suitability against federal soil, climate, and zone data.
How long does Mexican Oregano take to grow?
Mexican Oregano is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Mexican Oregano?
Most growers plant mexican oregano after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Mexican Oregano need?
Mexican Oregano needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Mexican Oregano need?
Mexican Oregano prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Mexican Oregano attract pollinators?
Yes — mexican oregano's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Mexican Oregano safe for pets?
Mexican Oregano is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)