Lovage

Lovage: plant 75 cm (30 in) apart in the row and 75 cm (30 in) between rows, 1 plant per 4 squares. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	75 cm (30 in)
Between rows	75 cm (30 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 plant per 4 squares
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	150 cm (59 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, by dividing a clump
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	5
Sowing depth	0.5 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 13 °C, best 18–24 °C
Days to emerge	14–28 days
Light while germinating	Needs light, barely cover
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 13 °C

From seedling to plant

Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; pinch the tips

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	1–1.1 years, from planting
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 12–20 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.6 kg per plant
Botanical family	Apiaceae
Watch out for	Aphids, powdery mildew
First crop after	2 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Plan Lovage in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Lovage onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow outdoors	Apr–May
Harvest	May–Sep

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Lovage →

From the same family

Plants of the Apiaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Culinary Use and Culture of Herbs (from the California Master Gardener Handbook; R10/2019) — UC Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners of Orange County for: between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30

More in Herbs and flowers

← All plants