Let us give you some sage advice when it comes to picking herbs. Harvesting regularly encourages more growth by freeing up the plant’s energy for more production, so leaving food on the plant and admiring it well past its best is not a habit we recommend. Pick often and you eat often. This also applies to herbs like sage, but we often see erratic harvesting practices that set back their progress. Over-enthusiastic haircuts and premature harvests leave them in a bigger state of shock than the time you had that horrific haircut during high school – a disaster! While a rebound is inevitable, the worse the haircut the loner it takes everyone to get over the physical and psychological shock.
PLANTING
Sage grows well from seed but it is slow to develop, you can propagate indoors and transplant with some comfort food to avoid transplant shock. If you are short on time plant from a cutting. Find your favourite neighbour’s sage and take a cutting. Strip leaves 5cm from the bottom but don’t get rid of all the leaves they need that for photosynthesising. At this point you can dip it in root hormone powder or gel and plant or you can place in a glass of water and wait for the roots to develop.
WATERING
In ground: Water daily for the first 4 weeks and 3-4 times a week in the absence of rainfall thereafter.
In Pots: Water daily, in the absence of rainfall, for the entirety of the warm season, and then cut back to watering every second day during the cooler times of the year.
MAINTENANCE
Becomes very woody in winter and needs pruning to invigorate the plant and encourage new growth. Be brutal. Will favour picking and pruning to encourage new growth.
HARVESTING
Pick sage leaf by leaf, this will encourage further growth. Or if you want to dry it for later use, cut it at the base then hang it upside down for 7-10 days with some twine and afterwards store it in a bag or jar.
TIP
Becomes very woody in winter and needs pruning to invigorate the plant and encourage new growth. Be brutal. In the kitchen dry the sage from your late winter cutback and then combine it with salt to make a delicious rub.
