germinating rosemary question

[smaxey843]

Generally how long does rosemary take to germinate? is it particularily sensitive? am I being impatient? I put them in this egg container thing a week ago, everything else is sprouted or did I just plain kill it ??

the middle row is the rosemary

[img]https://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu238/smaxey843/Gardening%20pictures/IMG_0595.jpg[/img]

[lily51]

I own a small greenhouse and start most of my plants from seed.
This year I seeded my rosemary on Jan. 13, it germinated on Jan. 31 and my first transplanting was on Feb. 22. It did wonderful, but it did take until April before the plants were of any size. They are slow growers, like warmth and not too much moisture. (except seeds have to remain moist to germinate). Hope this helps a little.

[rainbowgardener]

In general, perennials are slower to sprout and grow than annuals and rosemary is no exception. It will take 2-3 weeks to sprout depending on conditions and then will grow very sloooowly! For me starting the seeds in Jan, by the time it gets cold in fall, it's maybe a 4-6 inch tall little plant (whereas the tomatoes I started in Feb are 7 feet tall and bushy).

I have to bring rosemary in for the winter, but probably you can leave it in the ground where it will do better.

[smaxey843]

whoa, I had no idea. I assumed they were dead and gone. I'll keep them comfy indoors and see how far it'll get, anyone know how hardy it is off the top of your head?? looks like I've got a new winterlong baby heh.

[rainbowgardener]

Maybe you should read your seed packets more I'm pretty sure it would tell you days to germination on the seed packet....

Rosemary cold hardiness depends on the variety. Most are hardy to zone 8. Arp and Madeline Hill are rosemary varieties that have been bred for cold hardiness. They would definitely be hardy in zone 7. I haven't tried the Madeline Hill (maybe I should) but the Arp though it says it should be hardy down to -15, did not make it through my zone 6 winter.

[smaxey843]

again, great information. I ah... couldnt find my rosemary packet when I needed to refer to the information, it doesnt help that I struggle to remember where my shoes are from day to day heh.