Plant This Rustic Herb In Your Garden And Reap The Benefits Year After Year

If you're tired of overpaying for herbs at the grocery store that always come packaged in tiny, single-use plastic containers, you're not alone. One of the easiest herbs to grow on your own is rosemary. It's not only budget-friendly, it's also one of the easiest ways to dip your toes into gardening (even for beginners who struggle to keep houseplants alive). This fragrant Mediterranean herb is hardy, low-maintenance, and thrives with very little attention, making it perfect for first-time plant parents or amateur gardeners.

Besides saving money and avoiding unnecessary plastic waste, growing your own rosemary is extremely convenient. Once you buy fresh herbs from the grocery store, they typically must be used up quickly before going bad. Instead, you can snip off whatever you need whenever you want, even if you just have a small bush. Having fresh rosemary on hand lets you elevate basic dishes into something that tastes like it came from a restaurant. Roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes is a classic dish. A few sprigs of the herb can be used to season chicken or tofu alongside lemon. It can be steeped in olive oil for a flavorful bread dip, or even added straight to homemade bread. Sweet and savory dishes are both complemented by rosemary; think stews, soups, shortbreads, and even cocktails.

The beauty of rosemary is that it's a perennial herb, which means it can grow back year after year on its own. Once you have a plant, there is no need to regrow it yourself every year. It sounds like a lot of work to keep it alive for so long, but this hardy plant is easy to maintain. 

Rosemary is drought-tolerant, so if you occasionally forget to water it, the chances of it dying are slim. In fact, overwatering is one of the few things that can actually harm this otherwise tough plant. This Mediterranean herb loves the sun, and it should be placed in a spot that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. If you live somewhere warm with mild winters, you can grow rosemary outdoors year-round. One of the rookie mistakes for growing vegetables and herbs indoors is not choosing the right ones; however, rosemary can thrive both indoors and outside. In colder climates with long winters, it should be planted in pots and brought indoors. This versatile herb can either stay as a small potted herb or, if given room, grow into a busy shrub several feet tall and wide. Regular trimming keeps this plant healthy and encourages new growth, so you don't have to be too cautious about how much you use — just be sure to not trim it so much that the wood-like main stem is exposed.