Horehound in Zone 9a & 9b

Marrubium vulgare

When to plant horehound in zone 9b

Zones 9a and 9b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Horehound doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoors	Not typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outside	Feb 1–Feb 8
Estimated harvest	Feb 1 '28–Feb 8 '28 (First real harvest the season after planting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-2 ft.

Horehound is a grey-green, woolly-leaved mint relative grown for a bitterness that mostly appears in throat lozenges.

How horehound fits zone 9's season

Zone 9b's frost-free window runs about 293 days, from February 15 to December 5. Horehound takes about 1 growing season to reach first worthwhile harvest, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.

Horehound is hardy in zones 3-9, so in zone 9b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 1.5 ft of spread at maturity.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Horehound.

Where to buy horehound seeds

See why we recommend these suppliers →

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 genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.