How to Grow Winter Savory in Australia

Winter savory (Satureja montana) is a low, woody perennial of the mint family, Lamiaceae, grown for its peppery leaves, used fresh or dried. It forms a mostly evergreen mound about 40 cm high and wide. It comes from dry Mediterranean slopes, so Perth sand, a sunny rockery or a pot on a hot balcony suits it well. The usual mistake is kindness: rich soil and steady water give soft growth and rotting roots.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Planting into rich, wet ground. Compost-heavy, damp soil gives lush, floppy growth with less flavour, and roots in poorly drained ground often rot over winter. Plant into lean, free-draining soil or a pot, and water only once the top has dried.
2. Burying the seed. Winter savory seed needs light to germinate, so a normal covering of mix can leave a bare tray. Sow it on the surface instead, as Starting under cover describes.
3. Never trimming it. An untrimmed bush turns woody at the base and makes fewer young shoots each year. Trim it in early spring and after flowering, as Trimming and Shaping describes, and replace tired plants.

When to plant

Seed germinates best with the mix at 18 to 21°C, and still comes up in warmer mix to about 30°C. Most zones sow in spring as the mix warms; the tropics sow early in the dry season, and warm zones can also sow in autumn.

In frosty districts, sow in trays under cover and plant out after the last frost. Late sowings can stay in pots through their first winter and go out in spring.

Site, soil and setup

Rotation matters little for a perennial, but plant a replacement bush away from any spot where roots have rotted.

Container growing

A pot suits winter savory well, since drainage and winter wet are both easier to control. Give one plant a pot at least 25 cm across; a standard 25 cm pot holds about 8 L. Fill it with a premium potting mix. Potting and seed-raising mixes can carry Legionella bacteria, so wet them down, wear gloves and a P2 mask, and wash your hands afterwards.

• Water: once the top 2 cm of mix is dry, until water runs from the drainage holes, and never leave the pot standing in water.
• Feed: fish and seaweed blend at half strength, about 12.5 mL per 9 L, fortnightly from spring to late summer.
• Position: full sun, moved under the eaves through the wet season or a long wet spell.

Sowing Seeds

Start winter savory in a tray of seed-raising mix and plant it out. It can also be sown direct into a fine, weed-free bed once the soil is warm.

Starting under cover

• Scatter the seed thinly over moist seed-raising mix and press it in gently, or cover it with no more than a fine dusting.
• Mist the surface, cover the tray with a clear lid, and lift the lid as soon as seedlings appear.
• Keep the tray in bright light at the temperature When to plant gives.
• Expect seedlings in 7 to 14 days, though they often come up unevenly over a few weeks.
• At four true leaves, prick each seedling into its own small pot, lifting it by a leaf, never the stem.

A seedling heat mat holds that warmth in a cool spring. Direct sowings need the same light covering; thin them to the spacing Planting out gives once they can be handled.

Planting out

• Harden off the young plants (move them outdoors a little longer each day so they adjust to sun and wind) over about a week.
• Start with 2 to 3 hours in a sheltered, shady spot, then add 1 to 2 hours each day.
• Plant them out at 5 to 10 cm tall, at the depth they grew in the pot.
• Space plants 30 to 40 cm apart, since each bush spreads to about 40 cm.
• Water them in with seaweed solution at half strength, 15 mL per 9 L.

Care by growth stage

Over-feeding reduces the essential oils that give winter savory its flavour and aroma, so feed at half strength at most.

If growth stalls in very poor sand, a light scatter of all-purpose controlled release granular (NPK around 14-5-10) in spring can help.

Trimming and Shaping

Regular trimming keeps the bush dense and leafy. Left alone, it turns woody and sparse in the middle.

• In early spring, once new buds show, cut out dead wood and cut old shoots back.
• Pinch out the tips of new spring shoots so they branch.
• Shear lightly as the flower buds appear for a fresh flush of leaves, or trim the bush after flowering to keep it neat.
• Take softwood cuttings from new shoots in late spring or summer, and root them in sandy mix.
• Divide older plants in autumn or spring, or peg a long stem to the soil so it roots where it touches (layering).

Plants tire after a few years and make fewer new shoots, so keep a rooted cutting or two ready to replace them.

Companion planting

Winter savory suits sunny, lean-soil neighbours, and its flowers draw bees and other beneficial insects.

Grows well with

• Beans and onions, the companions most often listed, since its strong scent may help deter insect pests.
• Thyme and lavender, which want the same full sun, lean soil and dry roots.

Keep apart

• Mint, which can become weedy and wants soil that never dries out.
• Tall, leafy crops that shade it, since it does poorly in shade and damp soil.

Harvesting Sprigs

Start picking lightly about 8 weeks after sowing, once the plants are growing strongly, and keep picking through the growing season.

• Pick in the morning, once the dew has dried.
• Snip or pinch off the shoot tips, which also keeps the bush branching.
• For drying, cut 15 to 20 cm stems as the flower buds form or the first flowers open, when the oil content is high.
• In mild districts, pick lightly through winter; in cold ones, let the resting bush alone until spring.

Hang the bunches in a dry, airy spot out of direct sun; in fine weather they dry in about 10 days. When the leaves are brittle but do not shatter, strip them into clear, airtight glass jars and keep them in a dark cupboard. Condensation inside a jar means the leaves need more drying. Home-dried herbs generally keep about 12 months.

Use the leaves with beans and lentils, in soups and stews, and with meat, and the flowers are edible too. Much of the flavour fades in long cooking, so add some near the end.

Common problems

No seedlings, or a patchy tray. Seed buried too deep or left to dry out often fails, and even good seed is slow and uneven. See Three mistakes that matter, and wait a few weeks before resowing. A few seedlings are enough, since cuttings from them strike more reliably than seed. Read more

Bare, leafless stems in winter. In cold districts the bush sheds leaves and rests, then leafs up again in spring; Trimming and Shaping says when to cut out dead wood.

Plant collapses over winter. Roots rot in cold, wet soil, as Three mistakes that matter explains. Replace the plant with a cutting in a raised bed or a pot. Read more

Pests and diseases

Winter savory is seldom troubled, and most problems follow hot, dry weather or wet roots.

Aphids, such as green peach aphid (Myzus persicae). Colonies on soft tips distort new growth and leave sticky honeydew. Squash small colonies by hand before they spread. Read more

Spider mites, such as two-spotted mite (Tetranychus urticae). These tiny mites, under 0.5 mm, feed under the leaves and leave yellow stippling. They build up fast in hot, dry weather, so hose the leaf undersides and avoid broad-spectrum sprays that kill predatory mites. Read more

Damping off (Pythium and Rhizoctonia species). Seedlings collapse at soil level, most often in wet mix sown thickly. Sow thinly into fresh mix, avoid overwatering and lift the tray cover once seedlings appear. Read more

Prevention first

• Keep mulch clear of the woody stem base, since damp mulch against it can cause collar rot.
• Keep the spacing Planting out gives, so air moves through the bush.
• Check the undersides of the leaves often in hot, dry weather.
• Let some stems flower, since ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies eat aphids.

Tips

1. Trim a row along a path or bed edge into a low, informal hedge.
2. Look for low stems that have rooted where they touch the soil, and pot them up as new plants.
3. Pair it with summer savory: sow the milder annual for the warm months and, in mild districts, pick winter savory through the cooler ones.