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Last edited by shiny on November 12, 2026. View history

sage Sage

Salvia officinalis WD
Also known as common sage (EN) garden sage (EN)

A variety of salvia

How to sow sage: Direct seed indoors, harden seedlings off before transplanting outside.

Sun requirement for sage: Plant in Full Sun

Sage is an evergreen shrub with woody stems, soft green-gray leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is in the Mint family (Lamiaceae), and is perennial in Zones 4-8. It can be used fresh or dried, and has culinary and medicinal uses.

50
plantings
21
harvests
2
seed packets
Growstuff is a free, community-run site for people who grow food. Keep track of what you plant and harvest, find seeds to swap, and see what is growing near you. Join to record your own sage.

Sage facts

Lifespan

Perennial living more than two years
First harvest expected 24 weeks after planting

Height × spread

60cm × 50cm

Row Spacing

30cm

Days until maturity

80–90 days median of members' seed packets

Grown for

leaf harvested 19 times
Optimal temperature 15–26 °C
Absolute temperature 5–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall 500–1000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall 300–1500 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH 5–6.5
Absolute soil pH 4.2–8.3
FAO EcoCrop

Crop cycle

120–240 days
FAO EcoCrop

Max altitude

1000 m
FAO EcoCrop

Optimal light

very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?

A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.

Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.

For sage, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 5°C and a shortest growing cycle of 120 days at its best temperature, about 1860 growing degree days to a first harvest.

Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your sage will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.

Growing sage

  1. Dig grit into heavy soil 1 week before planting out
  2. Water until established at planting out every week
  3. Pinch out the tips to keep it bushy 6 weeks after planting out
  4. Pick leaves regularly at first harvest every week
  5. Trim after flowering 3 months after first harvest
  6. Take cuttings to replace woody plants 12 months after planting out

How members grow sage

Sunniness

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Planted from

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Harvested for

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Plant sage with

Photos

Sage crops

Sage plantings

20170924_112749
20170924_112749
by shiny
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2026-11-11_06-25-16
by shiny
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IMG_0406
by shiny
2026-10-28_09-24-28
2026-10-28_09-24-28
by shiny
IMG_20261025_113916
IMG_20261025_113916
by shiny

Sage harvests

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20170930_162625
by shiny
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IMG_20191223_184358
by shiny
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IMG_20191027_114931
by shiny
IMG_20180128_160047
IMG_20180128_160047
by shiny
DSC00626
DSC00626
by shiny

Video

Where sage grow

Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.

What people are saying about sage

Dinner from the garden

by shiny,

Chicken simmered in broth and white wine,with lemon, crispy sage leaves, polenta chips with parmesan, and a salad of arugula , pear and candied walnuts.

lemons sage sage arugula arugula pear pears walnuts
Read more
Image of sage

Who's planted sage

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Sage harvests

View all sage harvests

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Find sage seeds

Time to harvest

If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 120 to 240 days.

From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.

Ecological requirements

Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Salvia officinalis

Family / Taxonomy Magnoliopsida
Asteridae
Lamiales
Labiatae
Life form sub-shrub
Life span perennial
Habit erect
Optimal soil depth medium (50-150 cm)
Optimal soil texture medium
Optimal soil fertility high
Optimal soil drainage well (dry spells)
Optimal soil salinity low (<4 dS/m)
Photoperiod short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours)

Learn more about sage

Resources outside Growstuff.