Kitties, most of them anyway, love to frolic and roll in catnip. I keep a pot of it out on my front porch so Oscar, my 15-year-old tuxedo boy, won’t totally devastate it in the house in 1 fell swoop. My other feline Riley could care less about this herb. That’s how it goes with cats and catnip – some love it, others don’t.
Oscars rolls in it, drools a lot, gets a wound up and then passes out. Catnip, whose fancy pants botanic name is Nepeta cataria, is a perennial but is usually treated like an annual, even in the garden.
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Besides the fact that some cat will probably get to it, it’s a notoriously short lived plant. Don’t plant it near any tender plants because they will be flattened because in the kitty/catnip love fest. Growing it indoors is a bit more difficult – scroll down towards the bottom for that info.
How To Grow Catnip
Here’s how to grow this loose & sprawling herb:
Size
2-4′ x 2-4′. As a warning, some catnip will never reach this size.
Exposure
Full sun. It will tolerate part sun but will become even more leggy.
Water
Average. Make sure it’s not dry but not soaking wet either. Like most herbs, it needs good drainage.
Growing Zones
3-9. Catnip takes temps as low as 30 below.
Pruning
It needs to be cut back in fall or spring. You’ll see new growth will reappear from the base when the weather warms up.
Growing catnip indoors is more difficult because it likes high light and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Take into account the fact that your cat will decimate it in no fact flat – that’s why mine lives on the front porch and my kitties live inside.
Here’s my #1 tip for you when growing catnip in the house: plan on replacing it as often as needed.
If you choose to dry it for Fluffy to enjoy later, make sure those no moisture on the leaves or stems. Simply hang it upside down in a dry, dark place. So, get some catnip and make your kitty happy as can be!
Here’s where the certified organic catnip that I bought at our farmers market is grown.
