Cultivo de orégano en el huerto ecológico | Permacultura en Galicia

Oregano growing in the organic garden. Permaculture in Galicia One of the most popular aromatic plants, used in food as a condiment, is oregano. Besides being appreciated for its culinary use, it has another characteristic that will make its incorporation into the design of our ecological garden or food forest very useful: Its beautiful and dense inflorescences are an inescapable attraction for our favorite pollinators: bees. It is amazing how many of them can be seen continuously flying among its flowers. As we saw earlier, the production of fruits in our organic garden will be increased thanks to the presence of a greater number of pollinators, who will not hesitate to visit each and every one of the flowers of our fruit trees, shrubs, and annual crops. Hardly any will be left without pollinating. The result: a flower-a fruit. We must become aware of the wonderful symbiosis that occurs between bees and humans. In this relationship, we provide the bees with an abundant source of food free of toxic elements and in return, thanks to the pollination and transformation of our flowers, we will obtain rich and healthy fruits. We can grow it from seeds, seedlings or even cuttings in spring and autumn. It adapts well to different types of soil, although it prefers them with a substantial supply of organic matter and good drainage, which hinders the appearance of fungi. Oregano grows well in full sun and does not need much water. A moderate weekly watering is sufficient. Although the oregano develops preferably between 20 and 30 º C (68-86º F), it supports frosts very well. The flowering of oregano occurs during the summer, that is when we can enjoy its beautiful white inflorescences. During this season we should slightly increase the frequency of its irrigation. In Galicia, there is an ancestral tradition that says that for oregano to be well preserved throughout the year, it must receive the first dew of August. Therefore we will harvest it around those dates. (In locations that are in the southern hemisphere you should extrapolate to the dates of the beginning of the central month of your summer). We must watch especially that the flowers of the oregano are not passed ripening or burn with the excess of solar heat ... In areas where the sun shines with great force, it is highly advisable to use some type of shading mesh or similar (umbrella, awning, etc ...) to prevent the sun from burning the flowers of oregano. Once they are ready to pick up, we can cut their stems through the base. A very interesting feature is that it is a perennial plant. Therefore, we have every year in this piece of land a source of oregano without having to replant it, because it is already established in this place. Once picked the oregano, we must put it to dry. In the dark, in a cool and dry place. We carry out this process in the hórreo, a traditional construction of Galicia that is used for these drying and conservation tasks. When it is completely dry, we can store it and this will allow us to enjoy all year round its excellent qualities as a condiment. In short, the incorporation of oregano into the design of our organic garden or food forest is very profitable and multifunctional: we will have a supply of this aromatic to satisfy our needs throughout the year, we will increase the production of our crops, we will enjoy the landscape value of its flowers and we will feed abundantly and healthy the local population of bees, thus helping the conservation of the ecosystem. As a result, oregano will undoubtedly become an indispensable part of our garden. Music: "Bomber (Sting)" by Riot "Hon Kyoku" by Doug Maxwell/ Zac Zinger "Peace" by Lee Rosevere is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License.