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How to Grow Sage: A Flavorful Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Using This Classic Culinary Herb

Sage is a useful herb that can be easily grown in your garden.

Botanical Name
Salvia officinalis
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
10a
10b
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Acidic
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Fragrant
Long Blooming
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Drought-Tolerant
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

If your kitchen had a signature scent, sage might just be it. This aromatic herb brings cozy comfort to every dish it touches—especially that Thanksgiving stuffing everyone asks you for the recipe to. Luckily, garden sage isn’t just delicious; it’s delightfully easy to grow. 

Whether you’re seasoning your Sunday roast or adding a pop of green to your garden, here’s how to plant, care for, and harvest this time-tested kitchen staple.

Sage is a hardy perennial with pretty, grayish-green leaves that are as good in a perennial border as they are in a vegetable garden. It grows spikes of spring flowers in different colors, including purple, blue, white, and pink. According to Rosie Lerner from Perdue, “If left to flower, sage will produce blue blooms that attract butterflies, but this leaves less oil content, translating to reduced flavor in the leaves.” See more flowers that attract butterflies!

Buy Seeds Now

Note: Not all sage varieties are culinary; the most popular kitchen sage is called Salvia officinalis. The origin of the Salvia name speaks to this herb’s age-old medicinal value from the Latin salvus, “to save,” and salvere, “to heal.” Sage contains antioxidants that help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like cancer. It’s also rich in vitamin K, which aids the body in clotting blood.

Planting

How to Plant Sage

  • Plant sage in full sun.
  • Sage should be planted in well-draining soil; it won’t tolerate sitting in wet soil.
  • The easiest and best way to start sage is from a small plant. Set the plants 2 feet apart.
  • You can also sow seeds up to 2 weeks before the last frost date. (See local frost dates.) Plant the seeds/cuttings in well-draining soil 1 to 2 weeks before the last spring frost.
  • For best growth, the soil should be between 60º and 70ºF.
  • Plants should reach between 12 and 30 inches in height.
  • In the garden, plant near rosemary, cabbage, and carrots, but keep sage away from cucumbers.

Growing

How to Grow Sage

  • Be sure to water the young plants regularly until they are fully grown so that they don’t dry out. They’ll need a consistent moisture supply until they start growing quickly.
  • Prune the heavier, woody stems every spring.
  • It’s best to replace the plants every few years so they remain productive.
  • You can grow sage from cuttings!

sage plant

 

Harvesting

How to Harvest Sage

  • Pinch off leaves or snip off small sprigs from the plant.
  • During the first year, harvest lightly to ensure that the plant grows fully.
  • After the first year, be sure to leave a few stalks so that the plant can rejuvenate in the future.
  • If fully established, one plant can be harvested up to three times in one season.
  • Stop harvesting in the fall so the plant can prepare for winter.

How to Store Sage

  • Sage’s flavor is best when fresh, but it can be stored frozen or dried.
  • To dry, hang sprigs in a shady, well-ventilated area and allow them to air dry, waiting until the leaves crumble easily to store in tightly lidded jars.
  • Sage keeps its flavor better if stored in the freezer. Freeze leaves or stalks on a tray, then move the leaves into a zippered bag or container. Some cooks blend the leaves with oil, pack the ground mixture into ice cube trays to freeze, and then transfer the cubes to a container.

Pests and Problems

Types

  • ‘Berggarten’, a robust plant with very large silver-gray leaves
  • ’Tricolor’ sage, for a bit of color in the garden (yellow, mauve, and sage green)
  • ‘Icterina’ has green leaves with yellow edges

'Tricolor' sage

Wit and Wisdom

  • Anyone who has sage planted in their garden is reputed to do well in business.
  • Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin–Madison tells us, “Sage is often mentioned as the herb of immortality, domestic virtue, health, and wisdom. Sage was a sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans. It has been cultivated for both culinary and medicinal purposes for many centuries in Europe.”
  • For other greens to use in your cuisine, see the Leafy Greens: Health Benefits page.

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Joe</span> Wed, 08/17/2016 - 21:41
Try strictlymedicinalseeds.com out of Williams, Oregon ( I have a healthy plant at about 4" now) or thegrowers-exchange.com out of Charles City, Virginia. They are finicky to get started as they need it very warm, sunny and with very good draining soil. Good Luck!
<span>Anita Daniels</span> Sat, 12/28/2013 - 13:10
I purchased a sage plant in a planter pot last summer. The pot included parsley and other herbs. All the other herbs died, but the sage thrived. In late Autumn before the frost, I brought it in the house for the winter. It had wonderful big leaves and was thriving when I brought it in the house. Now, several months later the stems are long and lanky and the leaves are small. I can't find any pests on it. What should I do?
<span>Colin Ide</span> Mon, 06/16/2014 - 14:21
My sage plant had lots of leaves now it is completely void off leaves but has healthy stems. Will the leaves return.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 01/06/2014 - 12:06

A lanky plant with small leaves suggests that your sage is not getting enough light. Ideally, something like 6 to 8 hours of daylight per day is needed; a plant may not get enough if it is just sitting by a window (south-facing is best). You might want to provide artificial lighting: Set up grow-lights (such as two fluorescent tubes, one cool, one warm type) and place the plant under them (about 4 to 6 inches away from the lights) for about 12 to 14 hours per day. Ask your garden center for options--there are several bulb types and setups available.

 

Also, keep your plant away from cold drafts (such as by a window), and away from heating vents. A temperature around  65 to 70 degrees is good. Mist regularly.

 

 <span>Kenneth Beavers</span> Thu, 11/21/2013 - 14:02
i grow sage on a regulab basis, and i have yet to find a plant that even smells like sage. i can remember when i was growing up mother would put sage in sausage and other food and you could smell it all over the house. the sage i have you can boil the leaves and you can not get a sage smell.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 11/21/2013 - 15:15

There are so many varieties of sage. Some are good for the kitchen and others are not--and more ornamental. Salvia officinalis or the common sage is the primary sage used in stuffings. To use sage in stuffing and other foods, just chop up the fresh leaves. Sage is best in its first year. After a few years, it gets woody and needs to be replaced.

 <span>Holey Leaves :(</span> Wed, 08/28/2013 - 14:32
i started to grow sage from seeds and it was growin great until ive started noticing some kind of bug is eating the leaves and it has not grown since. im not sure what i can put so it can kill whatever bug is eating it. im afraid its getting the root and it wont grow anymore. Please help im looking forward to continue watchinng my sage grow.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 09/07/2013 - 14:24

It would be helpful to find out--winged thrips? Spider mites? A general insecticidal soap spray is usually useful. Blast the plant, including the underside of the leaf, with the spray which you can find in a garden store or make yourself.

 <span>Diana Huczesk</span> Wed, 03/25/2015 - 09:06
Do you have a recipe for a homemade insecticidal soap spray? If so, what other pests does it repel? Thanks for all the great information.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 03/27/2015 - 05:28

Mix 1 tablespoon of soap per quart of water, or 4 to 5 tablespoons of soap per gallon of water. Use a very clean, sterile bottle!