When to plant sage?

When, by region

March, April and May, about 2 weeks, the year before a harvest, 10 cm (4 in), 30 cm (12 in), a pot of 30 cm (12 in), 25 per cent grit, 30-90 cm (1-3 ft) and the 6 or 7 years before the stem turns woody are from the RHS. May in a pot is from the herbs-in-containers page. Autumn or the end of winter, direct sowing not advised, 60,000-100,000 plants per hectare, about 4 years and 2 cuts after the first year are from Campania. Sicily has no sage chapter. Umbria 2025 does not name it. Rosemary is in when to plant rosemary. The months are in the February calendar, March, April, May, September, October and November.

March, April and May

The RHS sows common sage indoors in spring, and the calendar marks March, April and May. Sow into small pots or modules of moist seed compost, cover with a thin layer, and keep them warm and bright. They are up in about 2 weeks. From seed to a plant worth picking takes at least a year. Plant out in the same months, once the soil starts to warm, after hardening off, and only once the plants are at least 10 cm (4 in) tall.

On the herbs-in-containers page, sage, rosemary, mint, oregano and thyme are sown indoors, or outdoors in May in containers. The pot is in starting seeds indoors.

Campania, autumn or the end of winter

In Campania direct sowing is not advised. The transplant, of plants from seed or from cuttings, goes in during autumn or at the end of winter, on ground prepared with no waterlogging. Cuttings give a more even stand. The density is 60,000-100,000 plants per hectare. The distance between rows follows mechanical weed control. A measurement in centimetres is not written.

It is a Mediterranean subshrub, and it does well in a warm climate with little rain. In autumn and winter it slows, more or less with the season. The crop lasts about 4 years on average: it can last longer, and then the yields drop. After the first year you can take 2 cuts a year. In the first year, if planting is at the end of winter, a third of the nitrogen goes on at planting and the rest during growth. Sicily has no sage chapter. Umbria, in 2025, does not name it. Thyme is in when to plant thyme.

Dry, and a permanent corner

Plant in the sun, out of the wind, in soil that drains and does not stay sodden. If the ground is heavy, the RHS puts it in a raised bed or a pot. In the ground, at least 30 cm (12 in) from its neighbours, without burying the crown of the roots. In a pot, one in at least 30 cm (12 in) wide and deep, with up to 25 per cent grit. In the first year, water during dry spells. After that, in the ground, it barely needs water. In a pot, keep the compost just moist, not sodden, and in winter move the pot out of the rain. The pot is in the container garden.

After 6 or 7 years the clump turns woody and goes bare in the middle: renew it from softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, or by layering in spring or autumn. Trim lightly from mid- to late spring. Take off the faded flower stems in late summer. Pick the leaves all year: the best flavour is on the new growth, in spring and summer. In crop rotation perennials stay outside the plan, in a permanent corner. Sage is one of those.