How to grow Sage

Sage is very happy growing in containers. Try to harvest lightly the first year until the plant becomes established, and pick leaves sparingly in the first season.

After blooming (unless you intend to save seed) it is best to cut back severely to keep it from becoming leggy. It will grow back quickly.

Consider replacing the entire plant after three seasons, as it tends to become quite woody.

Sage can be started from seed, from transplants or from cuttings.

Starting sage from root cuttings
Cuttings can be propagated by layering – this essentially means to lay the side branches down so they touch the soil and can begin to grow roots.

Starting sage from seed
Seeds can be started in trays or pots indoors – cover only with a sprinkle of compost cover, and put in a warm spot until spouting is visible (this should be around 10-21 days if all goes well). Light is helpful to sage for germination, so ensure you keep your propagator in a well lit area.

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 0.98 inches (2.5 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.23 inches (0.6 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 15°C / 59°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Sage about 84 days before your last frost date .

Transplant sage seedlings when large enough to handle and pot on individually into 7cm pots. Grow on in cooler conditions and accustome young plants to garden temperatures for 3 weeks prior to planting out. Sage tends to do better in well drained soil in a sunny spot.
The intensity of the flavour may vary according to the richness and fertility of the soil

Avoid frost when planting out as sage is not completely hardy.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Sage is a hardy plant.

If you pinch the growing tips of younger plants as they grow they will branch outwards rather than upwards, producing more harvestable leaves.
Cut leaves at any time of year, although winter it may become deciduous in very cold weather

Seed viability is one year.

These estimates for how long Sage takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Our when to plant Sage estimates are relative to your last frost date.

The Latin name for sage “salvia” means “to heal". The botanical epithet is from the Latin officinalis meaning “used medicinally”

The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that sage imparted wisdom, immortality, good life and increased psychic powers.

• The royal family in Spain used to employ “herb strewers” to scatter sage to cover the stench of the urban city.
• In the middle ages, sage was used as a treatment for a number of ailments including: memory loss, intestinal problems and liver disease.
• An old saying says that “sage only prospers where the wife rules” while a chinese proberb says “How can a man grow old when he has sage in his garden”.
• For mouth sores, mouth ulcers, or a sore throat try a tea with equal parts chamomile and sage.
• For sore throats, a sage tea mixed with apple cider vinegar is said to be effective. To make a “sage gargle” infuse 3 teaspoons fresh leaves in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes, strain and cool and use 3 times a day.

Garden sage, Kitchen sage, Common sage, Dalmatian sage, Elifagus, Lingua humana, Selba, Extracta sage, Purple sage

Salvia officinalis L.

Misspellings: Sauge

¹ Growing sage

² Old Wives’ Tales, Folklore, Myths and Legends

³ “Salvia”: The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas Debaggio; published in 2009 by Timber Press, Inc.

⁴ Pests of the Sage Plant