How to Grow Curry Plant
Curry Plant At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -9°C
Plant Family
Asteraceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Plant it out about 2 weeks after your last spring frost, once nights stay mild. Set it 45 cm from other plants, at the same depth as in its pot, in a sunny spot with soil that drains fast. In a pot, use potting mix with a few handfuls of sand or fine gravel stirred in.
Curry plant is a small silver shrub whose leaves smell strongly of curry, but it is not where curry powder comes from. It only survives mild winters, so in most of Canada grow it in a pot and bring it into a cool, bright room for winter, or take cuttings in late summer.
When To Start
Curry Plant needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Curry Plant?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Curry Plant Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Curry Plant Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant your curry plant out in a hot, sunny, dry spot
2 weeks after your last frost
Trim curry plant after it flowers to keep it bushy
90 days after your last frost· every year
Bring potted curry plant into a cool, bright room for winter
3 weeks before your first frost· every year· optional
Water your new curry plant plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your curry plant settling in? Water only when the soil is dry, since it likes a dry spot.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your curry plant is getting established. A light trim keeps it bushy and neat.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Curry Plant's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give curry plant full sun, the hotter and brighter the better.
- 2It needs soil that drains fast, so add sand or fine gravel and skip rich compost, which makes it soft and leggy.
- 3Water only when the soil is dry a few centimetres down, since soggy roots are the main way it dies.
- 4It needs no feeding at all, as lean soil keeps the scent strongest.
- 5Trim the plant after its yellow flowers fade to keep it neat and bushy.
- 6Pests rarely bother it, but give it space so air flows around the woolly leaves.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
60 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Snip sprigs for scent/garnish; remove a sprig late in cooking
How to Harvest
- 1Snip young sprigs any time from late spring to fall.
- 2Add a sprig to rice, soups or stews in the last few minutes, then lift it out before serving, since the leaves are too strong to eat.
- 3Never cut more than a third of the plant at once, so it keeps growing well.
- 4Dry the silver stems and yellow flowers for scented sachets and dried bunches.
- 5Before the first hard frost, move potted plants into a cool, bright room for winter.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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