Last edited by shiny on November 10, 2026. View history
Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel
How to sow bay laurel: Young tree or cutting
Sun requirement for bay laurel: Plant in Full Sun
Bay Laurel is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub native to the Mediterranean. It can be grown in soil or in containers. It has glossy dark green leaves,
yellow flowers, and dark purplish-black fruits. The plant's leaves are used as seasoning in cooking and are best harvested in the morning when the fragrance oils are strongest. Bay Laurel can also be grown as an ornamental or topiary. Plant trees in an area where they are protected from wind to prevent cold winter winds from damaging foliage.
- 14
- plantings
- 6
- harvests
- 0
- seed packets
Bay laurel facts
Lifespan
Height
7000cmGrown for
leaf harvested 6 timesCrop cycle
Optimal light
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For bay laurel, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 8°C and a shortest growing cycle of 120 days at its best temperature, about 1560 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your bay laurel will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow bay laurels
Sunniness
Planted from
Harvested for
Photos
Photos
Bay laurel crops
Bay laurel plantings
Bay laurel harvests
Video
Where bay laurels grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about bay laurels
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Who's planted bay laurels
- nodosa Budding food garden · Mayenne, France
- wrdnrd Canterbury — Deck · UDistrict, Seattle,...
- broderick Tub garden · Canberra
- shiny The Deck · Wellington, NZ
- LeighS Garden · Melbourne Victoria...
Bay laurel harvests
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shiny harvested 3.
20 days ago
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shiny harvested not specified.
29 days ago
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shiny harvested 2.
29 days ago
shiny harvested 3.
Find bay laurel seeds
There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 120 to 180 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Laurus nobilis
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Magnoliidae Magnoliales Lauraceae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: -1 °C, rest: -5 °C |
| Life form | shrub, tree |
| Life span | perennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | deep (>>150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about bay laurels
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