If you aren’t already growing it, make room for summer savory (Satureja hortensis) in your kitchen garden — it’s earned it. This easy-to-grow, annual herb is aromatic, attracts pollinators, and is an essential for cooks. One of the oldest known culinary herbs, summer savory has always been wildly popular with the Greeks and Romans. It was (and is) used as a sauce seasoning that was poured over poultry, fish, and meat as well as used as an “antiseptic” for the entire digestive tract.

Summer savory’s delicate, piney-pepper flavor is likened to thyme in culinary dishes. Its sweet-spicy flavor adds just the right touch to eggs, fish, green beans, poultry, and meats. Finely chop and sprinkle it over soups and broths or infuse it to create savory vinegar and savory oil.

Today’s gardeners have begun to take another look at old-fashioned summer savory for its pollinator-attracting qualities in the vegetable garden. Blossoms of dainty blue, pink, lavender, or white flowers are born in the late spring through the summer. The tiny, tubular blooms attract bees and other beneficial insects to the garden, so it’s not only a delicious seasoning, but also useful as a companion plant in flower or vegetable gardens. Like many herbs, summer savory makes itself at home at home in any container or window box.

Summer Savory’s Profile

• Botanical Name: Satureja hortensis
• Origination: Southeastern Europe
• Family: Lamiaceae
• Zones: All zones
• Habit: Annual (it readily re-seeds)
• Height: 1 1/2 feet
• Spread: 3 feet
• Blooming Time: Blooms in the spring to summer
• Planting Specifics: Full sun with well-draining soil. Summer savory likes regular water.
• Propagation: Seeds can be sown in spring, and soft-stem cuttings can be taken in the summer to propagate Summer savory.

Planting and Growing Summer Savory

Summer savory prefers to be planted in organically rich soil that’s slightly alkaline. A side-dressing of compost or worm castings offers a nutritional boost. Because it’s bushy and low-growing, this makes for an excellent edging plant for a kitchen garden, herb bed, or vegetable garden.

If more than one savory is planted as seedlings, they should be spaced about 9″ apart. Summer savory seeds can be directly planted into their permanent garden bed in the late spring. Often gardeners prefer to direct seed them as it resents having its roots disturbed. Once the seedlings grow to 1″ – 2″ tall, they can be thinned with small scissors to about 6″-9″ apart. The leaves are primarily harvested when flower buds begin to form.

Soft-stemmed cuttings can be taken in the summer to pass on to other gardeners. Rooted cuttings can be planted into containers and then brought indoors for winter cooking. The container should be placed in bright light or a window with a southern exposure.

Green Beans and Summer Savory!

My rule of thumb for herbs in the kitchen is “the simpler, the better” and summer savory is no exception. I like harvesting fresh green beans, snapping the ends off, and then steaming them for a few minutes in a double-broiler. Then I toss them with real butter and summer savory. Sometimes I add a little crumbled bacon. People always love them and ask how I get such great flavor from my green beans. I wish I could tell them that I would need to copy some incredibly secret recipe, but the answer isn’t worth emailing: it’s just fresh beans and summer savory.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil.

Buy at Amazon

Ho-Mi Digger - Korean Triangle Blade

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Versatile Tool: The Easy Digger Korean Triangle Blade Ho Mi Ho-mi is a versatile gardening tool designed for leveling and digging in home and garden settings. Efficient Design: Its unique triangular blade shape allows for easy soil penetration and efficient leveling of garden beds or landscaping areas. Durable Construction: Crafted with sturdy materials, this tool ensures long-lasting performance and reliability. Ergonomic Handle: The comfortable handle provides a secure grip, reducing hand fatigue during extended use. Compact Size: Its compact design makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces and store when not in use.

Buy at Amazon

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

MULTITASKING DUAL EDGES: a deep serrated edge and a tapered slicing edge ideal for tough or delicate cuts. DURABLE 6-inch stainless steel blade withstands 300 lbs of pressure. TWINE CUTTING NOTCH, DEPTH GAUGE MARKINGS & spear point - no need to switch tools when using this garden knife. LEATHER SHEATH: heavy duty, protective, clip on sheath to keep your knife convenient and secure. LIFETIME WARRANTY.

Buy at Amazon