When to plant

• Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before planting out.
• Plant outdoors about around your average last spring frost.
• Ready to harvest about 75 days after planting out.

Harvest lightly in year one. Hardy to zone 5.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b

Growing basics

Sun

Full sun (6+ hours)

Spacing

18–24 in

Soil temperature

At least 60°F

Time to harvest

About 75 days

Containers

At least 2 gallons

Plant family

Mint family (herbs)

Harvest per plant

About 0.3 lb

Seeds keep

About 3 years

Companions

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Grow it well

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