Growing sage in your home garden means you’ll always have plenty on hand—whether for cooking delicious savory and sweet dishes or for medicinal uses. Sage is fantastic for skin care, balancing women’s hormones, and getting through cold and flu season. In this article, you’ll learn how to grow and use sage.
Whenever I think of sage (or catch its scent), it instantly reminds me of turkey stuffing. It’s funny how smells can bring back such vivid memories. When I was a kid, the sage bottle only made an appearance on Thanksgiving. Now, after years of growing it, I always have more than enough—way beyond just Thanksgiving—so I’ve discovered plenty of other ways to use it.
Sage belongs to the Salvia genus, which includes over 900 varieties—though not all are edible. Typically, we call the edible ones “sage” and the ornamental ones “salvia.”
Sage (or salvia) thrives where I live, and we even use ornamental salvia in drought-resistant landscaping. It’s gorgeous, and the bees adore it.
For cooking and herbal remedies, we grow common sage (also called garden sage or kitchen sage). White sage is a popular medicinal variety, and pineapple sage—with its vibrant red flowers—is another fun one to grow. Bees love all of them, so don’t hesitate to let them bloom.
Growing sage gives bees plenty to forage!
How to Grow Sage
If you’re in gardening zones 5-8, sage will grow as a perennial. In extreme cold or heat, it’ll likely be an annual. But here in zone 9 (Texas Gulf Coast), we’ve found that planting sage in partial shade helps it survive the scorching summers as a perennial.
Here’s the thing: When plant labels say “full sun,” they don’t always account for places like South Texas or Arizona. That’s why understanding your specific growing conditions is key. If you need help figuring out your climate, we’ve got a short ecourse to guide you.
Sage prefers well-drained, sandy soil and doesn’t need much water. If garden space is tight, growing sage in pots works great.
It also makes a fantastic companion plant for carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and strawberries.
These worksheets are super helpful for planning how much to plant for your family. Just fill out the form below, and they’ll be emailed to you.
Propagating Sage
Sage doesn’t grow well from seed, so it’s best to start with a small plant.
You only need one—because propagating sage from cuttings is easy. Just snip about 6 inches of a green stem (avoid woody ones), dip it in rooting hormone, and plant it in vermiculite. Once roots form (which can take weeks), transfer it to regular soil.
Another method (my favorite) is to bend a long stem down to the soil, secure it with a pin or rock, and let it re-root right in the garden. Once it’s rooted, you can separate it from the main plant or move it elsewhere.
How to Harvest Sage
Harvesting sage is simple—just pick what you need, when you need it. For the best flavor, harvest in the morning after the dew dries.
If you’re doing a big harvest, avoid taking more than half the plant, and don’t cut too close to your first frost date.
Even after flowering, sage is still usable—and the bees love the blooms, so I let mine flower freely.
Most folks recommend replacing sage every 3-4 years, but I’ve found that lazy propagation (re-rooting stems every couple of years) keeps mine thriving without starting over.
In early spring, prune back some woody stems to encourage fresh growth—the new leaves will be just as flavorful as last year’s.
Tip: Always wash sage well before using.
How to Preserve Sage
Sage’s fuzzy leaves trap dirt, so give them a good wash first. I use a salad spinner—fill the bowl with water, swish the sage around, let the dirt settle, then spin dry.
To dry sage, hang small bundles upside down away from direct sunlight or use a dehydrator (set below 95°F). For small batches, I just lay leaves on a napkin on the counter—they dry in a couple of days.
You can also freeze chopped sage in ice cube trays with water, or preserve it in salt (which pulls out moisture) or honey.
How to Use Sage
Sure, turkey stuffing is a classic, but sage does so much more! It’s perfect in homemade sausage, chicken, or pork dishes—but don’t overlook sweet treats. My family loved the sage cookies from an herbal cooking course I took.
For something gourmet, try brown butter sage or a compound butter. It’s also amazing with biscuits and gravy—or even liver (if you’re into that).
Pineapple sage would make a fantastic herbal soda.
Medicinally, sage works as a decongestant—infuse it in honey, add it to cough syrup, or make an oxymel for cold season. White sage is especially good for this.
For skincare, try a sage-infused apple cider vinegar face tonic for acne. Its antimicrobial properties also make it great for DIY deodorant sprays.
Sage is one of those incredible herbs—easy to grow, delicious, and packed with benefits!
