Why It's Smart To Grow Oregano Next To Your Grill

One of the best parts of the summer months is being able to use the grill. Instead of being stuck in the kitchen and having to turn on the oven or stove, you can be outdoors with your family and friends and barbecue. The only downside is that mosquitoes love summertime too; they have easier access to us because we're outside, after all. You can help keep the biting pests away from you when you're manning the grill naturally by growing some oregano next to it.

Oregano has compounds like carvacrol and thymol that produce smells mosquitoes don't like. The herb isn't difficult to grow, so you don't need to have a green thumb, and the perennial will thrive with full sun and good water drainage. You could plant it at the border of a garden or an unplanted area near the grill. Another option is to grow it in a pot you can keep nearby, but not so close, of course, that the heat or smoke is too intense for it. Oregano doesn't grow high, so a planter lets you put it up closer to you. The herb also tends to spread, and if you have anything else planted nearby, it may be better to use a pot, since it could grow into that space.

There are other herbs and plants that repel mosquitoes too, like basil, rosemary (which you can keep thriving simply by pruning it), lavender, and marigolds. You could combine several of them together in one planter, consolidating their different compounds that bother the bugs, and it will have a more colorful look that way too.

Something important to know about this approach is that oregano's mosquito-repellant property works best when its leaves are rubbed or crushed to release the key compounds. When you grill, try to make it a habit when you grill to rub some of the herb's leaves, and do the same with any other oregano plants you put where people like to gather in your backyard. You could also rub them or those of other insect-repellant herbs over your skin as a kind of natural bug spray. But check if you're allergic first by doing it just in one spot for a few days.

Whether you just plant the herbs and let them grow, or you make the effort to release their compounds, don't expect to eradicate mosquitoes from your backyard either way. Instead, employ them along with other sensible strategies, like using fans outside or avoiding stagnant pools of water in your yard, as part of an overall defense against the bugs.

Planting oregano actually kills two birds with one stone; you'll have fresh herbs to cook with, which you can also dry in the microwave to store for later use. Include it in marinades and vinaigrettes, or make a pesto or a flavorful chimichurri for some of the barbecued meat. If you use a charcoal grill, you could also chop it finely and sprinkle it over the coals to add its flavor to the smoke.