Summer savory (kondari)

Satureja hortensis

The herb of Georgian bean pots and Bulgarian tables; peppery, and quick from seed.

Type: herb or perennial · annual vegetables, herbs and grains
Hardiness: zones 2 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 1.5 ft tall, 1 ft wide
Harvest: June to September
From: Mediterranean to the Caucasus
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, pollinators.

Native to: Mediterranean, Caucasus. Hardy in zones 2 to 11.

The story

Summer savory is the bean herb: in German it is literally called that, Bohnenkraut. In Georgia, as kondari, it goes into nearly every pot of red beans, and in Bulgaria, as chubritsa, it sits on the table beside the salt.

Planting

Sow on the surface after the last frost, in full sun and light soil. It needs light to sprout.

Growing

Water lightly. Pinch the tips for bushier plants. It is ready in about two months.

Harvest and use

Cut whole stems just as flowering begins, and dry them. Use it with beans, lentils, grilled meat and in herb salts.

What to watch for

It flops in rich soil. Being an annual, it is finished by frost.

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More annual vegetables, herbs and grains

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home