Mastering the Art of Growing Savory Indoors: A Complete Guide

I remember the first time I tasted a dish made with fresh savory. It wasn’t the dried, dusty stuff from a forgotten jar in the back of the spice cabinet. This was vibrant, peppery, and alive, and it completely transformed a simple bean soup into something memorable.

I thought to myself, “I need this in my life, all the time.” The problem? I live in an apartment with a balcony that gets about as much sun as a cave. Growing it outdoors was a non-starter. So, I embarked on a mission: to master the art of growing this incredible herb indoors.

It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. My first few attempts were, let’s just say, humbling. I had leggy stems, yellowing leaves, and plants that looked like they were begging for the sweet release of the compost bin.

But with a bit of trial, a lot of error, and some stubborn determination, I finally cracked the code. Now, I have a steady supply of fresh, pungent savory right on my windowsill, ready to elevate my cooking whenever I please.

If you’re here, you’re probably curious about doing the same. Maybe you’re a fellow apartment-dweller, or perhaps you just want to extend the growing season through the winter. Whatever your reason, I’m here to share everything I’ve learned.

This isn’t some generic, soulless guide. This is the real deal—the triumphs, the failures, and the practical, step-by-step advice you need to turn your thumb a little bit greener. Let’s get our hands dirty, shall we?

Getting to Know Your Savory: Winter vs. Summer

Before you rush out and buy the first packet of seeds you see, it’s crucial to understand that not all savory is created equal. There are two main characters in this story: Summer Savory and Winter Savory. They might share a family name, but they have distinct personalities, and choosing the right one for your indoor garden is the first step toward success.

Summer Savory: The Eager Sprinter

Summer savory (Saturejahortensis) is the more popular of the two, known for its sweet, delicate, and slightly peppery flavor. I think of it as the life of the party—it grows fast, gives its all, and then makes a graceful exit.

• Lifecycle: This one is an annual. That means it completes its entire life cycle, from seed to flower to seed, in a single season. Indoors, with the right care, you can get a few months of continuous harvesting before it inevitably decides its time is up.
• Flavor Profile: It has a milder taste compared to its winter cousin, with notes of marjoram, thyme, and a hint of mint. It’s absolutely divine with beans, lentils, and lighter meats like chicken and fish.
• Growth Habit: It has a more delicate, branching structure with soft, bright green leaves. It’s generally less woody and more tender.

For indoor growing, summer savory is a great choice if you want a quick, rewarding harvest. You can succession-sow it every few weeks to ensure you have a constant supply. It’s like having a revolving door of fresh herbs.

Winter Savory: The Hardy Marathoner

Winter savory (Saturejamontana) is the rugged, resilient sibling. It’s a perennial, meaning it will come back year after year. While it’s known for its ability to withstand cold outdoor temperatures, this hardiness also makes it a fantastic, long-term indoor companion.

• Lifecycle: As a perennial, this plant is in it for the long haul. With proper care, your indoor winter savory plant can live for several years, providing you with a steady supply of leaves.
• Flavor Profile: The flavor is more intense, pungent, and peppery—think thyme with an extra kick. It’s robust enough to stand up to stews, roasts, and hearty sausages. I find its bold flavor is perfect for winter cooking.
• Growth Habit: It’s a semi-woody, shrub-like plant with tougher, darker green, needle-like leaves. It grows more slowly than summer savory but is incredibly durable.

So, which one should you choose? Honestly, why not both? I started with summer savory for the instant gratification and then added a winter savory plant for its longevity. If you have to pick just one for a low-maintenance, long-term indoor garden, I’d lean toward winter savory. It’s more forgiving and doesn’t require constant replanting.

Setting Up Your Indoor Savory Sanctuary

Alright, you’ve chosen your champion. Now comes the fun part: creating the perfect environment for it to thrive. Your windowsill is about to become a five-star resort for herbs. Getting the setup right from the start will save you a world of headaches later. Trust me on this.

The Perfect Pot: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Choosing a pot is about more than aesthetics. The right container is critical for root health. You wouldn’t want to live in a house with no windows or plumbing, right? Your savory feels the same way about its pot.

• Drainage is Non-Negotiable: This is the single most important factor. If your pot doesn’t have drainage holes, you’re setting your plant up for root rot, the silent killer of many an indoor herb. If you fall in love with a decorative pot that has no holes, use it as a cachepot a decorative outer container and keep your savory in a basic nursery pot with holes inside it.
• Size Matters (But Not Too Much): For a single savory plant, a 6-8 inch diameter pot is a great starting point. Starting too big can lead to the soil staying wet for too long, which again, risks root rot. Starting too small means you’ll be repotting constantly. Find that Goldilocks size.
• Material World: Terracotta (clay) pots are my personal favorite for herbs like savory. They are porous, which allows the soil to breathe and dry out more evenly. This is a huge advantage for a plant that hates “wet feet.” Plastic or glazed ceramic pots work too, but you’ll need to be more careful with your watering.

Soil: The Foundation of Good Health

You can’t just scoop up some dirt from your backyard and call it a day. Indoor plants need a specific type of soil that provides nutrients, aeration, and proper drainage. Bagged potting mix is convenient, but I like to create my own custom blend for my herbs.

Here’s my go-to recipe for happy savory roots:

• 60% High-Quality Potting Mix: This forms the base, providing essential organic matter and nutrients.
• 20% Perlite or Pumice: These lightweight volcanic rocks are brilliant for aeration. They create tiny air pockets in the soil, preventing it from becoming compacted and allowing roots to breathe.
• 20% Coarse Sand or Horticultural Grit: Savory is native to the rocky, well-draining soils of the Mediterranean. Adding sand helps replicate this natural environment, dramatically improving drainage.

Mix these components together thoroughly in a bucket before potting your plant. This blend creates a light, airy, and fast-draining medium that savory absolutely loves.

Let There Be Light: The Most Crucial Ingredient

Here’s the hard truth: savory is a sun worshipper. It needs a lot of direct light to produce those flavorful, aromatic oils. A gloomy corner just won’t cut it.

• The Sunniest Spot You’ve Got: Your absolute best bet is a south-facing window where the plant can get at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. An east or west-facing window can also work, but you may notice the plant getting a bit “leggy” (stretching for light).
• The Grow Light Solution: What if you live in a place with perpetually gray skies or just don’t have a sunny window? Don’t despair! A grow light is your new best friend. I was skeptical at first, but a simple full-spectrum LED grow light completely changed my indoor gardening game. You don’t need an expensive, complicated setup. A clip-on model or a simple bulb that fits into a standard lamp fixture will do wonders. Position it 6-12 inches above your plant and leave it on for 12-14 hours a day.

Don’t underestimate the light requirement. If your savory isn’t growing well, 9 times out of 10, insufficient light is the culprit.

The Art of Planting and Care: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your stage set, it’s time for the main performance. Whether you’re starting from seed or a nursery plant, the process is straightforward if you follow these steps.

Option 1: Starting from Seed (The Patient Gardener’s Path)

Starting from seed is incredibly rewarding and cost-effective. It’s like raising a child, but with less talking back.

1. Sow the Seeds: Fill your chosen pot (or a smaller seed-starting tray) with your pre-moistened soil mix. Sprinkle the tiny savory seeds on the surface of the soil. Don’t bury them deep; they need light to germinate. A very light dusting of soil on top is all that’s needed.
2. Mist Gently: Use a spray bottle to gently mist the surface. A heavy stream of water will just wash the seeds away. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged, until you see sprouts.
3. Provide Warmth & Light: Place the pot in a warm, bright location. A plastic dome or a piece of clear plastic wrap over the pot can help retain humidity and speed up germination, which typically takes 1-2 weeks.
4. Thin the Herd: Once your seedlings have a couple of sets of true leaves, it’s time for the hardest part: thinning. You need to choose the strongest-looking seedlings and snip the others at the soil line with a small pair of scissors. It feels brutal, I know, but if you don’t, they will all compete for resources and none will thrive. Aim for one strong plant per 6-inch pot, or space them a few inches apart in a larger container.

Option 2: Starting with a Nursery Plant (The Shortcut to Success)

There is absolutely no shame in buying a small starter plant from a local nursery or garden center. It’s a great way to get a head start.

1. Inspect Before You Buy: Look for a healthy plant with vibrant green leaves and no signs of pests or disease (like yellow spots or webbing). Avoid plants that look wilted or have been sitting in a puddle of water.
2. Acclimate It: When you bring your new plant home, don’t immediately repot it. Let it acclimate to its new environment for a few days. Plants can experience shock from being moved, so give it some time to adjust.
3. Repotting Day: Gently remove the plant from its flimsy nursery pot. Tease the roots at the bottom a little if they are tightly bound. Place it in your new pot with the prepared soil mix, ensuring the top of the root ball is level with the new soil line. Fill in around the sides, press the soil down gently, and give it a thorough watering.

Ongoing Care: The Rhythm of Tending

Once your savory is planted, your job shifts from builder to caretaker. This involves a simple rhythm of watering, feeding, and pruning.

Watering: The “Less is More” Philosophy

The number one mistake I made early on was overwatering. I was killing my plants with kindness. Savory prefers to be on the drier side.

• The Finger Test: This is the only watering schedule you need. Stick your finger about an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, it’s time to water. If you feel any moisture, wait another day or two and check again.
• Water Deeply, Not Frequently: When you do water, do it thoroughly. Pour water until it runs freely out of the drainage holes at the bottom. This encourages deep root growth. Then, discard any excess water from the saucer. Never, ever let your savory sit in standing water.

Feeding: A Light Snack, Not a Feast

Savory doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer. In fact, over-fertilizing can lead to lush green growth with very little flavor.

• Feed Sparingly: I feed my indoor savory with a balanced, all-purpose liquid fertilizer (like a 10-10-10) diluted to half-strength.
• Timing is Everything: Feed it once a month during the spring and summer when it’s actively growing. Reduce feeding to every other month or stop completely during the fall and winter when growth naturally slows down.

Pruning and Harvesting: The Haircut That Keeps on Giving

Pruning is not just for keeping the plant tidy; it’s essential for encouraging bushy growth and is also how you harvest!

• The First Trim: Once your plant is about 6 inches tall, give it its first haircut. Snip off the top 1-2 inches of each main stem, right above a set of leaves. This will force the plant to send out new side shoots, making it fuller and bushier.
• Harvest Often: The best way to keep your savory happy is to use it! Regularly snip off sprigs as you need them for cooking. Always cut just above a leaf node (where leaves grow from the stem). This encourages new growth from that point.
• Avoid Over-Harvesting: A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than one-third of the plant at any given time. This ensures it has enough foliage left to photosynthesize and recover.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (AKA My Hall of Shame)

I’ve made just about every mistake in the book so you don’t have to. Here are the biggest pitfalls to watch out for.

• The “Loving It to Death” Syndrome: This is all about overwatering. Your intentions are good, but soggy soil is a death sentence. Remember the finger test and let the soil dry out. When in doubt, don’t water.
• Ignoring the Light Situation: You can do everything else right, but if your plant is in a dark corner, it will fail. It will become pale, spindly, and sad. If you don’t have a sunny window, invest in a grow light. It’s a small price to pay for herb-growing success. IMO, it’s the best investment an indoor gardener can make.
• Fear of Pruning: I used to be scared to cut my plants. I thought I was hurting them. The opposite is true! An unpruned savory plant will become tall, woody, and sparse. Regular trimming promotes a dense, leafy plant and gives you a better harvest. Be brave and snip away.
• Forgetting About Airflow: Stagnant air can be a breeding ground for fungal diseases and pests like spider mites. A little bit of air circulation goes a long way. If your room is stuffy, running a small fan for a few hours a day or simply opening a window can make a big difference.

Conclusion: Your Indoor Herb Garden Awaits

Growing savory indoors is more than just a way to get fresh ingredients. It’s a small, daily act of connection with the natural world. There’s a unique satisfaction in snipping a sprig from a plant you nurtured from a tiny seed and tasting its vibrant flavor in your meal. It turns cooking from a chore into a creative act.

You now have all the knowledge you need to successfully grow this wonderful herb inside your home. The initial setup might take a little effort, but the ongoing care is simple, and the reward of having fresh, pungent savory at your fingertips is well worth it.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab some seeds or a starter plant and give it a try. I promise, your bean soups and roasted chickens will thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions (That You Were Too Afraid to Ask)

My savory plant is getting really tall and floppy. What did I do wrong?

This is a classic case of “legginess,” and it’s almost always caused by a lack of sufficient light. Your plant is literally stretching itself thin trying to reach for more sun. The immediate fix is to move it to a much brighter location or supplement with a grow light.

Can I grow savory in just a glass of water on my windowsill?

While you can successfully root a cutting of savory in water, it’s not a viable long-term growing solution. The plant won’t get the nutrients it needs to thrive and produce flavorful leaves. Think of water propagation as a fun science experiment to start a new plant, but it will eventually need to be moved to soil to live a happy, productive life.

My savory leaves taste bland and not very “savory.” What’s the deal?

This is usually a result of one of three things (or a combination): not enough sun, too much water, or too much fertilizer. The aromatic oils that give savory its potent flavor are produced in abundance when the plant is a little “stressed” by lots of sun and drier conditions.

Help! There are tiny webs and little dots on the undersides of the leaves!

It sounds like you’ve got a case of spider mites, a common indoor plant pest. Don’t panic! The first step is to isolate the plant from any other houseplants to prevent them from spreading. Then, take the plant to a sink or shower and give it a good, strong spray-down with water, making sure to blast the undersides of the leaves.