How to Grow Lovage From Seed

Lovage is a long-lived perennial that grows into a big plant, so give it a permanent home at the back of the bed. Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost, then transplant the seedlings outside after the frost danger passes. You can also direct-sow in the garden in late spring, or sow fresh seed in fall, since lovage germinates best from recently harvested seed. One or two plants are plenty for most kitchens because each one gets so large.

Lovage seed needs light to germinate, so press the seeds onto the surface of a moist seed-starting mix and cover them only lightly. Keep them warm and evenly moist and expect sprouts in about 2 to 3 weeks. Give the young plants a sunny to lightly shaded spot with rich, deep, moisture-retentive soil, and space them 24 to 36 inches apart since a mature plant can reach 4 to 6 feet tall and spread wide. Work compost into the planting hole to feed that big, leafy growth.

Once settled, lovage is a rugged, hands-off perennial that comes back bigger each spring. Unlike most herbs it does appreciate rich soil and steady moisture, so water it well in dry spells and give it about an inch or two a week to keep the leaves tender. Feed it with compost or a balanced feed in spring, and working a little life into the soil at planting helps its deep roots establish. Cut the flower stalks off if you want to keep the plant producing lush leaves rather than going to seed. It dies back in winter and returns reliably in spring; in hot Southern gardens give it afternoon shade and extra water so it does not scorch.

Lovage is a generous garden companion, and old kitchen gardens often kept a plant near the vegetable patch. Its tall growth and flowers draw in pollinators and predatory insects that help protect nearby crops. These three make good neighbors and you can add any of them in one click:

Start snipping young lovage leaves and stems once the plant is well established, usually by its second year, and harvest lightly the first year so the plant can settle in. Cut outer leaves and stalks as you need them, taking no more than about a third at a time so the plant keeps producing. Leaves are best fresh but freeze well; the hollow stems can be used like celery. For seeds, let a few flower umbels ripen and turn brown, then cut and dry them. Harvest in the morning for the best flavor.

Lovage tastes like a bold, concentrated celery, so use it with a light hand. The leaves and hollow stems flavor soups, stocks, stews, and potato dishes wonderfully, and a young leaf or two lifts a green salad. The thick stems can be used like celery or even candied, and the aromatic seeds season breads and pickles much like celery seed. Let a plant flower and it feeds bees and beneficial insects, making it a useful anchor at the edge of the vegetable garden.

• Slow germination: lovage seed sprouts best when fresh and needs light. Surface-sow it, keep it warm and moist, and use recent seed for the best results.
• Plant outgrowing its space: lovage gets huge. Give it 2 to 3 feet of room and place it at the back of the bed from the start.
• Tough, bitter leaves: heat and flowering toughen the foliage. Cut off flower stalks and keep the soil moist to keep leaves tender.
• Leaf miners or aphids on foliage: pick off affected leaves and rinse aphids away with water; the plant is vigorous and shrugs off minor damage.