If you’re thinking of adding sage to your garden, then you’ll want to consider companion planting. This will ensure your sage (and your other plants) will grow well so that you can have many harvests. But what grows well with sage? Today I’ll explain some of the best plants to grow alongside sage and the best options for what to plant with sage.
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First, we’ll discuss what companion planting is and the benefits of companion planting. Then, we’ll go more in-depth about what to look for when companion planting with sage. After, we’ll explain some fruits, vegetables, and other herbs that are excellent choices for companion plants with sage. Finally, we’ll explain what other plants to avoid placing near sage and whether or not companion planting can work with sage being grown in a pot.
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is a strategic way to grow plants in your garden. For example, you can place like-minded plants near each other so that they’ll help one another grow well and thrive. When we say like-minded plants, we mean plants with similar growing conditions—for instance, similar soil, watering needs, and sunlight needs.
You can read more about companion planting in my guide here, but keep reading for detail on what to plant with Sage.
What are the Benefits of Companion Planting?
Companion planting is one of the best ways to help your plants grow in your garden. The biggest benefit is that you’ll have a full garden filled with healthy plants that have grown to their full potential. You can provide all you can to your plants when it comes to watering, feed and sunlight, but then the plants need to root themselves and grow on their own.
Companion planting allows your plants to support one another so the whole garden can thrive.
What to Consider When Looking for What to Plant with Sage?
Companion planting isn’t as simple as placing plants near one another in the garden. First, they need to be compatible. This means that you’ll want to place plants beside one another with similar growing conditions. Also, some plants are great pollinators to attract certain insects and keep pests away.
The Best Growing Conditions for Sage
First, let’s discuss the growing conditions that Sage needs to thrive.
Sage prefers to have well-draining soil that’s sandy or loamy. Also, they don’t need a whole lot of water to survive. When first planted and in the early stages of growth, you’ll want to provide daily water. However, sage doesn’t need to be watered every day once it’s mature.
In addition, sage thrives on full, direct sunlight. So you’ll want to place it in a spot in the garden that gets about six hours of sunlight per day. There’s lots more on growing sage in my guide how to grow sage guide.
With this in mind, you’ll want to plant sage near other plants that have similar growing conditions. For example, plant it beside other plants that prefer well-draining soil and little water.
Sage can grow to about 60 centimetres tall. So, don’t plant it around other plants that need a lot of sun. Or, you can place it in front of another plant that does not need much sunlight. This way, when the sun is at its peak, your sage will absorb the sunlight and protect the other plant with shade.
Pollinators and Pests with regard to Sage
Sage is a great pollinator. It can attract butterflies, bees, and other insects that help pollinate the other plants to allow them to thrive.
For example, you can have more than one sage plant in the garden (it’s a good idea to do this). One for harvesting and another to let the flowers bloom. This will definitely attract more pollinators to your garden.
Sage also repels certain pests from the garden. For instance, growing sage near cabbage will repel certain pests that feed off of cabbage. Also, the sage can help boost the flavour of your cabbage.
The Best Companion Plants for Sage
Let’s talk about some of the best sage companion plants you can grow to make the most out of companion planting.
Companion Planting Sage with Vegetables
Sage can (and should) be planted near some of the following vegetables. For example, you can plant the following near this herb:
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots – read my guide to growing carrots here
- Cauliflower
- Collard Greens
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
For most of these vegetables, sage can repel certain insects and other pests that will often come to feed upon these veggies.
Rust flies or carrot flies especially go after carrots. Luckily, due to the strong odour of sage, this herb will keep this type of flies away. Sage’s odour masks the scent of carrots, so it seems as though carrots aren’t in your garden at all. In addition, sage can boost the flavour of some of these veggies, such as cabbage.
Companion Planting Sage with Fruits
Fruits are similar to vegetables when it comes to benefitting from sage. For instance, strawberries and tomatoes are excellent fruits to grow near this sage.
- Read my tomato growing secrets here
- Read about growing strawberries here
Sage will keep away certain pests from these fruits to allow them to grow well. Also, the sage attracts many pollinators that will help the fruits (especially the tomatoes) grow well.
In addition, the sage herb can help boost the flavour of some of these fruits, especially strawberries.
Companion Planting Sage with other Herbs
In addition, you can plant sage near plenty of other herbs. For example, you can have a herb garden without other fruits and vegetables.
Common herbs that are great for companion planting with sage are:
- Lavender
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
These herbs are great paired with sage because of their similar growing conditions.
For example, the herbs listed above prefer to be planted in the same environment. Also, they all require the same type of soil, which is well-drained and sandy or loamy in texture. Due to this, they have similar growing conditions, so you won’t need to worry about watering as much. This means the roots of one plant won’t be overwatered because of another plant.
What Not to Plant with Sage
While sage does well with many other plants, there are certain plants that it’s not compatible with. Here are some of the plants you’ll want to avoid companion planting with sage.
- Basil (my guide to growing basil is here)
- Chives
- Cucumber (read about growing cucumber here)
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Onions (read about growing onions here)
- Shallots
Some, such as chives, garlic, onions, and shallots, have different growing conditions than sage. These plants prefer to have a lot of moisture when grown.
Since sage doesn’t like having a lot of water, this can cause your sage plant to get overwatered. Thus, its roots will continuously be moist and rot, killing the sage plant.
Sage can stunt the growth of cucumbers. When this happens, the cucumber can still grow, but you’ll get fewer harvests from it. Also, the sage can make your cucumbers taste unpleasant.
Can you Companion Plant with Sage inside a Pot?
The short answer is yes. You can still utilize companion planting with sage while growing in a pot.
For example, sage can grow up to 45 centimetres wide and up to 60 centimetres tall. If you don’t want it to grow that big or you’re afraid it might take over your garden, then you should grow sage in a pot.
This way, you can move the pot around to different areas. For example, you can bring your sage plant inside during a harsh winter, so it continues to grow well.
However, you can leave the pot in your garden either in the middle or on the edge. By being close to your other plants, you can still get companion planting benefits.
Another benefit of companion planting your sage in a pot is that you don’t need to worry too much about similar growing conditions.
For instance, you can place your sage near a plant that requires a lot of water or a different type of soil. Neither plant will be affected because your sage will be separated in the pot.
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Final Words on the Best Plants to Grow with Sage
Sage is not only a great herb to grow for harvest and eating, but it can also give your whole garden a boost. For example, sage can be planted near various fruits, vegetables, and other herbs to help them grow. In return, these other plants can help your sage, as well. If you’ve never tried companion planting before, it’s certainly worth it. Sage is a hardy herb, and it’s easy to grow. And if you manage your sage companion planting well, then you’ll get some great results, just be careful what you pick to grow next to sage!
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