Sage

Pests & beneficial insects

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

that help control Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

, Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

Silvery streaking with black specks — the specks are how you tell them from mites.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

, Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Shot-holes in seedling leaves, and a beetle that jumps when you lean in.

, Colorado potato beetle

Colorado potato beetle

Striped beetle whose red grubs strip potato foliage fast.

, Stink bugs

Stink bugs

Shield-shaped bugs that pierce fruit, leaving dimples and hard spots.

, Leaf miners

Leaf miners

Agromyzidae

Pale trails inside the leaf — mostly harmless, and out of reach of any spray.

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Start Sage indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost. Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 45 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 75 days.

Sage seed rarely stays viable beyond a year — track what's still worth sowing.

Companion Planting

• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaGreat pair

  • ❧Sage attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars and more that attack Alfalfa
  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sage feeds on
  • ❧Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Common bean
  

  Common beanGreat pair

  • ❧Sage attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Common bean
  • ❧Common bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sage feeds on
  • ❧Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Painted Lady Runner Bean
  

  Painted Lady Runner BeanGreat pair

  • ❧Sage attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Painted Lady Runner Bean
  • ❧Painted Lady Runner Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sage feeds on
  • ❧Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Sage

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space45 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~75 days

Water: Low · Height: 60 cm · Soil: Well-draining, sandy, slightly alkaline — tolerates drought