Sage
Salvia officinalis
Lamiaceae · mint family
- Matures
- 80–90 days
- Harvest
- Continuous · Perennial
- Sun
- 6–8+ hrs
- Spacing
- 18–30 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 18–30 in
- Between rows
- 18–30 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Upright
- Mature height
- 1–2 ft
Stands on its own; the tallest types appreciate a stake in wind.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Transplant
Goes in as a rooted start, cutting, or division rather than raised from seed.
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 59°F
- Sow depth
- 0–0.125 in
- Time to emerge
- 10–14 days
Germinates between 55–64°F; happiest around 59°F.
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
Our sources document no specific pests or diseases for this crop; it's generally grown without major pest trouble in home gardens.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, Marin Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight, inRowSpacing, rowSpacing, startMethod · UC Marin MG Sage grow sheet (coastal Bay Area): 'Sage can be grown from seed in late spring or early summer, propagated from root cuttings taken in the summer, or planted as starts' (set-out season anchor). 'Plant 18 to 30 inches apart in full sun. Does best with afternoon shade in the hottest locations' (inRowSpacing 18-30; sunlight full-sun crop, 4-6 hrs = maybe on the cool coast). Sage is a Mediterranean subshrub that dislikes constant fog/damp, so — like thyme — the foggy month map is narrower (peak-summer fog = maybe) and prefers the warm/sunny microclimate; wet-winter months = no. Month-level split inferred from the set-out season, not month-sourced. Between-row spacing is taken equal to the in-row figure: this crop is spaced about equally in all directions and the source gives a single spacing, not a distinct row width. Start method: UC Marin MG sage: 'Sage can be grown from seed in late spring or early summer' at soil 'between 60 and 70 degrees', but 'Seeds mature slowly, which is why starts are more popular' — hence starts as the usual route, with no under-cover lead time published.
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight · UC MG Santa Clara Sage page: 'Direct seed after the last frost date in spring, or sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks prior to the last frost date' and 'Plant seedlings when the danger of frost is past' (spring set-out, corroborates the window). Light: 'Full sun'. South Bay runs warmer than foggy SF, so used for agronomy and season, not month calibration.
- Johnny's Selected Seedsbacks daysToMaturity, inRowSpacing · Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) product spec from a horticulture-staffed seed house: '80 - 90 days' to maturity (daysToMaturity). Perennial caveat: harvest lightly the first season, fuller in year two, so treat 80-90 as an approximate first-harvest window. Spacing '12" apart, in rows 18" apart' corroborates in-row spacing at the denser (seed-production) end; Marin's 18-30 in reflects the mature 2-3 ft shrub in a raised bed.
- NC State Extension — Plant Toolboxbacks sunlight, soilDepth, lifecycle, harvestStyle, growthHabit · Salvia officinalis entry: 'Common sage prefers full sun and well-drained, medium to dry soils' (corroborates full-sun bands and drainage need). 'The species can grow up to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide' -> a substantial woody subshrub, larger than thyme, so soil depth assigned by habit: moderate rooting (6-10 in = maybe, 10-15/15-18/18-24 = yes). No numeric rooting depth exists; sharp drainage, not depth, is the real constraint. Non-CA extension, agronomy only. Habit and harvest: perennial, continuous — a woody perennial subshrub whose leaves are cut repeatedly through the season. growthHabit: Height '1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.' -> 12-24 in. Habit/Form is listed 'Mounding, Spreading', but classified upright: this is a self-supporting semi-woody/'bushy' perennial shrub (needs no support and is distinctly taller and more vertical than a creeping low-mound herb like thyme), so upright fits the four-way scheme better than low-mound.
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)backs germination, plantingDepth · RHS sage: ~2 weeks to germinate; RHS propagating-herbs page recommends 59°F bottom heat (optimal). 55/64 band around it. Planting depth 0-1/8 in (barely covered): 'cover with a thin layer of fine compost.'
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany