How to Grow Lovage
Lovage At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Apiaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Lovage seed loses its power to sprout within about a year, so use fresh seed. Sow in late fall and let winter do the work, or in early spring about 4 weeks before your last frost: press seeds 1 cm deep and keep the soil damp. They are slow and take 14 to 21 days to sprout, and one or two plants are plenty for a household, at least 30 cm from anything else.
Lovage is a big, hardy perennial that tastes like strong celery and comes back every spring for many years. One plant can grow taller than you, so it suits the back of a bed or a large pot, and it rarely needs replacing.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Lovage?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Lovage Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Lovage Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow fresh lovage seed outdoors now
30 days before your last frost
Plant out lovage started indoors or a divided piece
Around your last frost· every year· optional
Pick lovage leaves and cut off flower stalks for more
45 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your lovage seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your lovage is getting going! Keep the soil damp while the young plants settle in.
About 61 days after you plant it
Looking good! Snip leaves from the base as you need them and the plant keeps growing.
About 101 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your lovage.
About 120 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Lovage's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
1 cm
Seeding Depth
30 cm
Plant Spacing
45 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Trellis.
Method: Trellis.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 14–21 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow lovage in full sun or part shade, since it copes well with a few hours of shade a day.
- 2Give it deep, rich soil with plenty of compost, as the plant gets very large.
- 3Keep the soil evenly moist, especially in hot spells, or the leaves turn yellow and tough.
- 4Spread a layer of compost or worm castings around it each spring as it wakes up.
- 5Cut off flower stalks as they appear if you want more leaves, unless you are saving seed.
- 6Pick off leaves with pale wiggly tunnels, which are made by tiny leaf miner grubs, and spray aphids off with water.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~120
Days to Maturity
180 cm
Mature Height
75 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Snip leaves from base as needed
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking leaves once the plant is well settled, lightly in the first year and freely after that.
- 2Cut whole stems at the base with scissors, taking the young, bright green leaves for the best taste.
- 3Use it like celery in soups, stews and potato salad, but start with a little, as the flavour is strong.
- 4The hollow stems make fun drinking straws for tomato juice.
- 5Freeze chopped leaves or dry them in bunches to use in winter, and collect the brown seeds in late summer to use as a spice like celery seed.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Lovage comes true from seed and does not cross with common garden plants. Let one flower stalk grow and wait until the seeds turn brown and dry in late summer. Cut the seed heads into a paper bag, let them finish drying for a week, then rub the seeds free. Store them labelled somewhere cool, dark and dry, but sow them within a year, because lovage seed does not keep well.
Seed Production
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