Sage Seeds

Days to Maturity: 75 from direct sow

A long-lived evergreen perennial.

Introduced to North America in the 17th century, Sage has been used over the centuries for a wide variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. This hardy evergreen shrub is easy to grow and long-lived, a mainstay of the perennial border, herb garden, and containers for the patio and even the home. The aroma is enticing and the flavor fabulous. Be sure to grow plenty in your garden.

Many Americans associate sage with Thanksgiving, but this seasoning is useful in a wide range of dishes, from dressings and sausages to cheeses and meats. Try growing your own, and enjoy its superb flavor and aroma—not to mention its attractive appearance—for many seasons in the garden.

Sage is a shrubby plant, forming many side branches of velvety-textured, wrinkled, gray-green leaves about 2 inches long. Spikes of 1/2-inch violet, pink to white flowers appear in summer. The plant matures to 24 to 32 inches high and 36 inches wide.

Sow seeds at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. They take about 3 weeks to germinate, but then grow readily and can be transplanted when they have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Grow in well-drained to dry, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun.

Pick sage leaves as needed once the plant is growing well and has branched out nicely—75 days is a benchmark, but individual plants will vary depending upon conditions. Stop harvesting in fall, so that the plant can harden off for winter outdoors in the garden or containers.

Sage will become woody and leaf out sparsely after about 4 years; at that time, if you are growing it for culinary purposes, it is best to remove the entire plant and begin a new one.

Culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Its smallish gray-green leaves have a pebbled or bumpy texture, and release a pungent but not unpleasant aroma. Although Sage flowers, it is primarily grown for its foliage, which should be harvested before the flower buds open.

Sage is used to flavor meat and fish, sausages and stuffing, salad, and a wide range of Mediterranean dishes. It is also a common ingredient in vinegars, soils, and sauces.

Choosing a Sage Variety

With more than 750 varieties of Sage available today, you might think that selecting one for the herb garden would be a daunting task. Most of these varieties are ornamental, however, and you can't go wrong with the classic Salvia officinalis, plain garden sage! There are also lovely golden- and purple-leaved variants on garden sage, which add plate appeal and garden beauty.

When to Start Sage Seeds

Sage seeds can be direct-sown into the warm spring soil after all danger of frost, but most gardeners find it easier to begin the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last anticipated frost.

How to Start Sage Seeds

Sow the seeds in your Bio Dome or in seed flats. If using the Bio Dome, drop one seed into each Bio Sponge. If using seed flats, cover the seeds lightly with a thin layer of vermiculite.

Seeds should germinate anywhere from 10 to 21 days after sowing. They are ready to transplant when they have 2 sets of true leaves and stand about 4 inches high. Space them about 18 inches apart in the garden, or set them into containers.

Special Considerations

• Sage is delicious fresh, frozen, or dried. If you want to dry large quantities of Sage, you can cut the entire plant at the base, hang it upside-down in a warm, dry area for about a week, and then strip the leaves off, discarding the remainder of the plant. Store the leaves in an airtight container.
  
• To freeze Sage, place individual leaves on a cookie sheet and flash-freeze them for about half an hour, then carefully stack them in a plastic bag and refreeze.
  
• Sage is the traditional companion to Rosemary in the herb garden, and is a natural pest fighter for plants in the Cabbage family. Its strong aroma may discourage some nibbling pests, so it is a good choice around the edges of the vegetable patch and annual bed.
  
• Bees, butterflies, and birds adore Sage. If you want to attract these creatures to your garden, create an area where your Sage plants can go to flower (rather than be harvested before blooming). Most winged visitors appear after the blooms are open!

Growing Tips for Sage Plants

• Sage loves blazing sun, hot weather, and dry soil. Let it dry out a bit between waterings, and if you are growing it in a container, make sure the drainage is excellent. (Add a layer of pebbles at the base of the container to improve the drainage if it is in question.)
  
• Pinch the growing tips of your Sage plant several times during spring and early summer. This will produce a bushier plant and slow the formation of flower buds.
  
• Harvest the leaves when they are young, either by pinching them off individually or snipping an entire stem at the base.

Pests and Problems to Watch For

• Seedlings can occasionally fall victim to damping off, a fungal condition. To prevent this, make sure your potting mix or medium is sterile, bottom-water the seedlings, and avoid crowding.

• Whitefly and mealybugs are sap-sucking pests that can harm your Sage. Whitefly is usually found on houseplants and in greenhouses, and is easily controlled by hanging a yellow sticky trap near the plants. Mealybugs can strike indoors or out, and are best dealt with by pruning off the affected branches or, if there are only a few bugs, using a Q-tip to coat them in rubbing alcohol or cooking oil.

• Mildew can be a problem in humid or rainy climates, or with overhead watering. In the garden, site your Sage in an uncrowded area where air circulates freely, and use a soaker hose to bottom-water if possible.

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Sage Germination Information

• Best sown indoors at a temperature of 68-72°
• Seeds can also be sown outdoors after all danger of frost is past in the spring and in a warm soil
• Indoors and out, sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds and expect germination in 10-15 days

This semi-shrubby, 2- 21/2 foot tall herb bears spikes of violet-blue, purple, white, or pink flowers in early summer. The velvety, gray-green leaves are used in sausage stuffing, meat dishes, egg and cheese dishes, and to make an herbal tea. An essence is extracted to use in soaps, perfumes, and to make yellow, cream, or gray-green dyes. Harvest them at any time for fresh use or for drying and storing. There are varieties with leaves that are purple or are tricolored green, white, and pink

Superior Germination Through Superior Science

First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.

Superior Standards - University Inspected

Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians

When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.

The Park Seed Gold Standard

Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).

Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.