Lovage
Lovage, Levisticum officinale, also known as garden lovage, is a perennial plant in the family Apiaceae. Lovage is a perennial and can in many cases grow quite large, up to one or two meters even.
It has a long history in cooking but also as a medicinal plant for coughs and sore throats. The strong scent and flavor of lovage keep pests away, which is a big plus.
Lovage is easy to grow and doesn't require much care. This amazing herb is incredibly loyal and will provide you with a harvest for many years to come if you just take care of it a little. There are two ways to grow lovage, either by starting it indoors or by sowing it directly in the planting area. We recommend starting it indoors as it is faster and the plants will yield an earlier harvest. Lovage thrives in most soils, but it grows best in nutrient-rich soil. A tip is to check the leaves of the lovage plant - if they are drooping, it needs nutrients and can be fertilized with some cow manure. It can grow in both sunny and semi-shaded areas, which makes it easy to place.
Watering lovage is very important as the soil should be kept slightly moist at all times for it to thrive and flourish. However, it does not like to be too wet, so it is important that the drainage in the soil works well.
Harvesting is best done after lovage has grown a bit and become a little larger, sometime between July-October depending on when it was sown and planted. In the coming years, it is possible to harvest during the summer season, which then works as pruning for the plant.
