Sage
Common Sage, Garden Sage, Culinary Sage, Salvia
Hardy perennial in zones 4–8. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun — excellent drought tolerance once established. Prune back by one-third each spring to prevent woody, unproductive growth. Harvest leaves before flowering for best flavor. Replace plants every 3–4 years as they become woody. Excellent companion plant repelling cabbage moths and carrot flies.
- Germination
- 10–21 days
- Soil temperature
- 16–21 °C
- Harvest after planting
- 75–100 days
- Spacing
- 45–60 cm
When to plant sage
Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out within 2 weeks after it.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow sage
- 1
Sow or buy a plant
Sow indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost; germination takes 10–21 days. A young plant from a nursery gets you picking sooner.
- 2
Plant out
Plant after the last frost in sunny, free-draining soil. Once established it handles drought well.
- 3
Prune
Cut back by a third each spring to stop it becoming woody. Replace plants every 3–4 years.
- 4
Harvest
Pick leaves before flowering for the best flavour, from about 75 days after planting.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Temperature
-10–32 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
75–90 days
Ideal soil pH
7.5–8
How Tomatograph watches your sage
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for powdery mildew, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Sage questions
- When should I plant sage?
- Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out within 2 weeks after it.
- How long do sage seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 10–21 days at a soil temperature of 16–21 °C.
- How long until I can harvest sage?
- About 75–100 days after planting out, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant sage?
- Allow 45–60 cm between plants.
- What grows well with sage?
- Good neighbours include rosemary, tomato, cabbage, carrot.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).