Growing Mugwort: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 20, 2026
Mugwort has a long history in cooking and herbal medicine, and it is one of the more difficult plants to have in a garden.
Read this before planting it
The toolbox tags it a perennial weed, notes it is considered an invasive weed in some areas of the country, and records that it spreads aggressively by rhizome with high maintenance required to control it.
Rhizome spread is the problem. Pulling the tops does nothing; every fragment of root left behind starts again. Two to four feet tall and three to six feet across is the size it reaches, and it keeps going outward from there.
If you grow it, contain it
A sunk container with a solid base, or a spot bounded by hard edges on all sides, are the only approaches that hold. Check yearly for runners escaping underneath. An open raised bed is not containment.
What it is for
The leaves are aromatic and bitter, used traditionally in cooking fatty meats and in tea. It is hardy zones 3 through 8 in full sun to partial shade and grows in almost any soil, which is exactly why it is a problem.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Artemisia vulgaris.
Companion planting guide for Mugwort · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 3-8. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 2-4 ft
Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. It doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.
When to plant mugwort, by zone
Every zone mugwort grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3a & 3b | Not usually | May 30–Jun 6 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 4a & 4b | Not usually | May 15–May 22 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 5a & 5b | Not usually | May 10–May 17 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 6a & 6b | Not usually | Apr 25–May 2 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 7a & 7b | Not usually | Apr 10–Apr 17 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 8a & 8b | Not usually | Mar 25–Apr 1 | First real harvest the season after planting |
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Mugwort plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: about 4 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-4 ft.
Where to buy mugwort seeds
True Leaf Market (each supplier's mugwort seeds)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a clear consensus of positive, independent reviews, or ones we bought and use ourselves. Each item on our gear page says which.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing mugwort" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
Pin this for later
Growing Mugwort: An aromatic herb that NC State Extension classes as an invasive weed, and that spreads underground faster than you can pull it.
Save to Pinterest