When to plant Savory in Tropical Australia

Tropical zone — applies to Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Broome, Mackay and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Arid.

Savory has no tropical sowing window, because both summer savory and the perennial winter savory are dry-climate Mediterranean herbs that struggle in constant heat and wet-season humidity. Grown in a suitable climate you would raise seedlings from seed just 3 mm deep, germinating in 7–21 days, then transplant at 40 cm spacing in rows 20–30 cm apart for a harvest in 60–80 days. In frost-free Darwin, Cairns and Broome, though, the plants sulk in the humidity, the fine peppery foliage goes soft and disease-prone, and the wet season tends to rot them out before they establish.

Sowing calendar — tropical zone

No sowing window in this zone.

Growing notes

Savory wants what the tropics cannot offer: dry, gritty soil, plenty of airflow and moderate warmth without cloying humidity. Summer savory is an annual and winter savory a low woody perennial, and both carry aromatic oils that develop best under lean, sunny, well-drained conditions.

In a tropical garden the usual failure is fungal. High humidity and wet-season rain sit on the fine foliage, and you get leaf blackening, damping-off in young seedlings, and crown rot in older plants. The herb also loses much of its punchy flavour when grown soft and lush rather than lean and dry.

If you want to try, treat savory as a dry-season pot herb in places like Townsville or Mackay. Use a terracotta pot with a free-draining, low-fertility mix, stand it where it gets morning sun and good breeze, keep it out of the rain during the wet, and water only when the mix dries. Pinch regularly for bushiness and harvest young shoots. Even so, expect it to be short-lived. For a reliable peppery, thyme-like note in tropical cooking, Greek basil, perennial thyme grown in a sharply drained pot, or the woody native herbs suited to humidity will serve you far better than fighting savory through the wet.

Savory at a glance

Common questions

can savory grow in the tropics?

Not well in the ground. Savory is a dry-climate Mediterranean herb, and tropical humidity and wet-season rain bring on fungal rot. It only manages as a sheltered, free-draining dry-season pot herb.

why is my savory going black and mushy in Cairns?

That is fungal disease driven by humidity and rain sitting on the foliage. Move it to a pot with excellent drainage and airflow, keep it out of the rain, and water only when the mix dries out.

what's the difference between summer and winter savory for tropical growing?

Summer savory is a softer annual and winter savory a tougher woody perennial. The perennial handles a sheltered pot slightly better, but both dislike tropical humidity and are best treated as short-term dry-season plants.

what herb can replace savory in humid tropical gardens?

Greek basil and sharply drained potted thyme give a similar peppery, aromatic lift and cope far better with the Darwin and Townsville wet season than savory does.

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