Start Growing Sage Indoors: Easy How-To Guide

In this article, you will learn how to get one step closer to having the aroma of sage in your dishes. Here is how you can start growing sage indoors in a simple home garden.

It’s the holidays! But even if it wasn’t so close to the best time of the year, there are still at least a hundred dishes that are made better with sage. 

Aromatically enriched sage is commonly used in various cuisines to enhance the aroma and flavor of food. Having sage growing in your kitchen garden can be a real blessing as you can easily use freshly cut sage now and then in your cooking.

In addition to being flavorful, sage has loads of health benefits. It is enriched with vitamin A, C, and E, and different types of vitamin B, including riboflavin, folic acid, and thiamin.

Growing sage indoors is super easy and convenient. Today, we’re going to teach you all the tips and procedures for doing so. Let’s get started!

Best Varieties for Growing Sage Indoor

As there are more than 500 different varieties of sage, the most important question is which varieties of sage are suitable for life indoors. Following four sage varieties can be best grown indoors.

The leaves are light green in color with hues of varying texture and color at every angle. This beautiful plant is both ornamental and edible.

And when used in cooking some tasty dishes at family gatherings, these beautiful leaves add a refreshing flavor.

It imparts a refreshing taste and aroma to your food. Plus, sage tea is a great remedy for many digestive problems.

The leaves of this plant infuse an enchanting aroma and delectable taste in various dishes, and they also have numerous health benefits.

Different Methods of Planting Sage

There are three methods for growing sage indoors:

1. Planting Sage Seed
2. Planting Sage Sapling
3. Planting Sage Cutting

• Planting Sage Seed: To plant sage with seeds, first take high-quality sage seeds. Put these seeds 2 inches deep into the perfectly mixed soil. If you are planting all seeds in the same container, then do maintain a minimum of 24 inches distance between sage seeds in the planter.

Completely cover the seeds by lightly patting them down and sprinkling the soil on top of them. Excess watering can ruin the seeds’ growth. So, spray the soil till it’s damp. Keep the container in a slightly warm place. The seeds will start germinating in about 7 days to a maximum of 21 days.

Growing sage from sage seeds is the quickest method of all.

• Planting Sage Sapling: To grow the sage sapling, buy a healthy one from the market. Add soil mixture in a container and make a hole in the middle. Then carefully place the sapling in it so that the plant roots will fully submerge in the soil.

If you are planting more than one sapling, set each sapling at least 24 inches apart. Then slowly water the soil enough to dampen the first few inches of soil.

• Planting Sage Cutting: You’ll need to cut an existing sage branch for planting sage using cutting. Cut 3 to 4 inches of the branch and remove the leaves present on the stem with the help of scissors. Put this cutting in the already prepared soil mixture. 

Water the soil till it’s damp. Growing sage indoors with cutting requires a little more dampness. So, you cover it with a plastic bottle to increase the humidity level. New roots will appear within 4 to 6 weeks. Then you can move this plant into the pot.

Growing sage with existing sage plants is quite a fun and easy process as you don’t need to rush to the market or look for any sage seeds. Plus, you can reuse the already existing sage plant’s cutting to grow a new plant.

Growth Requirements of Sage

Although growing sage indoors is quite easy, you still need to follow some basic instructions to improve your plant’s growth and avoid damage.

• Soil Mixture

Soil for growing sage must be well-draining to ensure the best possible growth. Sage requires a dry environment, so the soil must be free-draining and dry.

• Sunlight

Growing sage indoors is not that difficult as it can survive in a wide climate range. Nonetheless, sage plants require an ample amount of sunlight for the best growth. Typically, the sage plant needs at least 6 to 8 hours of daylight daily. This timeline of the sun includes both direct and indirect sunlight. Thus, it is necessary to keep your container at a place when maximum sunlight hits.

In case your window does not offer this amount of sunlight, you can use artificial means. You can use fluorescent lighting to fulfill the sunlight needs. However, if you are using only artificial light and the plant is not getting sunlight, give 14 to 16 hours daily. The placement of plants in daylight is very important. Place the pots at least 5 to 15 inches away from light for maximum impact.

• Temperature

Temperature maintenance is not important for growing sage indoors. However, in harsh winter weather, it is best not to keep the plant close to the window. You can place the pot on top of your fridge for the best possible normal temperature.

• Watering

Sage is a drought-tolerant herb meaning that it will not require an excess of water for maximum growth. Over-watering can also kill the sage plant. Thus, only water the sage plant when the soil seems dry. The easiest way to water sage plants is with a spray or mist bottle till the soil’s surface looks wet.

Sage has a minty flavor with an enticing aroma, and it is an essential ingredient in various delectable dishes. Growing sage indoors in your kitchen garden can make this herb readily available to enhance the flavor of your everyday cooking. Plus, with its rich nutritional content, sage can impart tons of health benefits.

Final Thoughts on Growing Sage Indoors

No matter what your preferred method is, growing sage indoors is completely possible if you have a little patience with your plant and give it sufficient light. 

Care for it consistently and you’ll have lots of fresh, healthy, fragrant sage to add to your beautiful meals.