Sage is a versatile herb that is easy to grow in any garden. It looks beautiful in beds, but you can also harvest the leaves to use fresh, dried or frozen. In this article, learn how to prune sage and how to properly harvest it after flowering for the best flavor.
How should you cut and harvest sage after it has bloomed?
Growing fresh sage in the herb garden can also be a rewarding experience in the kitchen. When you smell a fresh sage leaf for the first time, you'll probably be surprised by the powerful scent. Learn here how and when to cut and harvest garden sage for the best results.
Prune sage after flowering
Many gardeners think that pruning sage is too complicated and can kill the plant. However, if you want a plant that grows bushy rather than tall, it should be cut back properly.
Prune the plant after flowering to enjoy its full bloom and encourage the growth of lots of fragrant leaves. You should never cut them in the fall or winter as the new growth cannot withstand the cold and you could lose the entire plant.
For a bushy plant, you want to encourage the plant to grow at the bottom. To achieve this, use sharp secateurs and cut off the top third of each shoot, leaving it no longer than 10-15 cm.
You may notice that the sage leaves grow in pairs. Therefore, cut the plant just above a pair of leaves to encourage new growth. This way you get more and more new leaves and stems and an even larger yield.
Do not throw away the cut tips. You can use the small leaves to prepare delicious dishes, a refreshing teaor use sage candies.
Can you harvest sage after it has bloomed?
A hardy, perennial herb, sage provides edible leaves year-round. However, the best harvest time is from May to August, just before flowering. However, if you choose to harvest the herb after flowering, keep in mind that its aroma may not be as strong.
To maintain optimal aroma and flavor for longer, you can pick the flowers during flowering before they get too large so the leaves can still retain much of their flavor. Or you can prevent sage from blooming by constantly cutting off the young stems.
To easily pick fresh sage leaves, pick them along the stem. The small new leaves at the top can also be picked. Just be careful not to pull too hard to avoid damaging the stems or ripping the entire plant out of the ground.
You can also cut entire sage stems or branches with sharp pruning shears just above the base of the leaves. This method is suitable if you want to dry large bundles of sage.
Select only healthy leaves and discard any that are yellow, brown, or have spots. Most people only use the sage leaves, but the flowers are also edible and have a delicate flavor.
Remember that you should not remove all of the leaves as the plant needs at least some of them to survive.
Store the sage after harvesting
After harvesting, you may find that you have more leaves than you can use.
Wrap the fresh leaves in a damp cloth and you can store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Another method to store sage,is freezing. This means the aroma of the leaves can be retained for up to a year and it is very easy to take individual leaves out of the freezer.
Dried sage leaves are also often used in cooking. The leaves can be dried either in the air or in the oven at 60 °C and used to make tea or to refine various dishes.
