Sage
How to sow sage successfully under cover?
Sow common sage under cover in spring, using small pots or a module tray with drainage holes. Seed is mainly suitable for the ordinary form: it may not reproduce the features of a variety with coloured foliage. Use fine, free draining seed compost and moisten it before spreading the seeds. No additional fertiliser is needed at this stage.
Sow thinly, then cover with a light layer of compost, usually about 5 mm deep according to the packet instructions. Firm gently and water with a fine rose so the seeds stay in place. Keep the compost slightly moist, without leaving water standing in the saucer.
Put the pots somewhere warm and bright. Around 15 to 20 °C suits many seed lots; follow the supplier’s guidance. Germination often takes two to four weeks, although timing varies. If you use a cover, ventilate it and remove it after seedlings emerge. Avoid overheating behind glass and poor light that causes long, weak stems.
Prick out gently into individual pots once seedlings have several true leaves and are large enough to handle. Let them develop, then gradually harden them off before planting outdoors after the last frosts. Allow at least about 30 cm between plants, and more for vigorous forms, in a sunny position with well drained soil.
How do you sow sage outdoors?
Sow common sage outdoors in spring once hard frosts are unlikely and the soil has warmed. In a cool climate or while the ground remains cold and wet, start under cover instead. Choose a sunny, well drained area that is easy to check, avoiding any place where water collects.
Remove weeds and break up the surface into a fine tilth without unnecessarily digging deeply. Moisten it before sowing if dry. Sow thinly in a shallow drill, then cover lightly with fine soil, usually about 5 mm deep according to the packet. Do not space every seed thirty centimetres apart: that distance concerns developed plants. Burying seeds one to two centimetres deep as a fixed rule is unnecessary.
Firm gently and water with a fine rose to keep the seeds in place. Maintain slight moisture in the surface layer until seedlings emerge, without soaking the ground. Germination often takes a few weeks and varies with temperature and the seed lot. Mark the row so you can distinguish young sage from weeds.
Once several true leaves appear, thin gradually by removing surplus seedlings. Keep at least about 30 cm between plants, allowing more for their vigour and mature spread. Avoid damaging the roots of those you retain. Seed does not guarantee that varieties with coloured foliage will retain their particular features.
When should sage be harvested?
Harvest leaves from your culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, once the plant is established and has enough growth. Young spring and summer shoots are particularly useful in cooking. Picking is not restricted to a single moment before flowering: you can take small quantities whenever healthy foliage is available.
Choose a dry day after dew has disappeared, especially if you plan to dry the harvest. Take a few leaves or tender shoot tips with clean scissors. Retain leaves and growing points on the branches; do not turn picking into a severe cut into old wood. Give more rest to young plants and those making little growth during the cold season.
Use fresh leaves after sorting and rinsing. For drying, make small loose bunches or spread leaves in a dry, ventilated place out of sunlight. Pack the harvest only when completely dry, in a closed container protected from light. Check that no moisture remains before sealing. Aroma changes with time, so harvesting to match your needs is preferable to accumulating a large stock. Keep only sound leaves in the batch you preserve.
Sage
- Type : Aromatic plants
- Subtype : Leafy vegetables
- Botanical Family : Lamiaceae (labiate)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Perennial
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Plant Spacing : 20 cm
- Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Low
- Water Requirements : Low
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Sandy
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing