Lovage

Quick facts

Category

herbs woody

Difficulty

beginner

Days to harvest

90 to 150 days

Harvest type

cut leaves, plant regrows for repeated harvests

Spacing

60 cm between plants

Environment

Temperature

8–26°C

pH

6 to 7.5

EC (hydroponic)

1.2 to 2 mS/cm

Daily light

13 to 20 mol/m²/day

Climate and zones

USDA zones

3 to 8 (winter low around -40°C or warmer)

Frost tolerance

very hardy (survives deep cold)

Season

cool (spring and fall crops)

Viable growing environments:

• outdoor year-round (in zone)
• outdoor in growing season (annual)
• unheated greenhouse / hoop house
• heated greenhouse
• indoor (heated home)
• indoor hydroponics under grow lights

USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.

Growing systems

Lovage works in:

• media bed (ebb and flow)
• wicking bed
• soil bed

Root mass is heavy - thin-channel systems (NFT, vertical towers) can't hold this crop mechanically, hence the system list above.

Growing media

The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (lovage works in the media listed below).

Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.

Aquaponics suitability

Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.

Care notes

An easy, long-lived perennial herb that produces an enormous amount of harvestable leaf from a single plant. Large container (20 L; the root system is substantial) or media bed. EC 1.0-2.0 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 10–25°C (cool to moderate; cold-hardy to zone 3). Moderate light (DLI 12-18 mol/m2/day; tolerates partial shade). The plant emerges in early spring and grows rapidly to 1–2 m by midsummer. Harvest leaves throughout the growing season by cutting stems. The flavor is strongest in spring leaves and mellows as the plant matures. Use like celery in any recipe: soups, stews, stocks, potato salad, egg salad. A few chopped leaves in a green salad add celery depth. The hollow stems can be used as drinking straws for Bloody Marys (a traditional use). Seeds are used as a spice (similar to celery seed). In winter, the plant dies back to the ground and reemerges in spring. A single lovage plant in an aquaponics media bed provides a decade or more of celery-flavored herb production with minimal care.

Further reading

• Best crops for hydroponic beginners
• The Kratky method: grow lettuce with zero electricity