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The sesame plant is a tropical perennial that is often grown as an annual. The plant is native to Africa and India and produces the delicious, ubiquitous sesame seeds we see on bagels, in tahini and as an essential ingredient in many foods. It needs very hot, dry conditions with full sun and well-drained soil with a neutral pH. This makes it a challenge for gardeners who don’t live in the appropriate growing zones. Want to plant sesame plants in your garden? Here are some things you need to know to keep your sesame plant happy and healthy.
Here are the key care requirements for growing a sesame plant.
Plant it in well-drained, medium-texture soil with a neutral pH.
Place it in full sun where it will receive the most direct light and warmth.
Water sparingly and be careful not to place them with plants that are regularly watered.
Fertilize during the growing season with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
Sesame plants need plenty of direct sunlight and they like warmth. Try planting them near a stone or brick wall for extra warmth.
Sesame plants tolerate different soil conditions very well, but good drainage is a must. A sandy, loamy soil is a good option. Sesame does not tolerate standing water, wet soils, or heavy clay soils, nor does it tolerate salty soil or salty air.
While regular watering is important for germination and establishment of young plants, sesame plants do not need a lot of water. Also, it is best not to plant them near other plants that are regularly watered. If you give them their own raised bed or section of garden, make sure they are adequately moist and low.
It’s a good idea to plant them next to other drought-tolerant plants (such as lavender, thyme, or stonecrop). Don’t use drip irrigation, as this will drown the plants.
The sesame plant’s ability to withstand hot, dry desert conditions makes it a very valuable food crop in parts of the world plagued by drought.
Sesame plants require nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growing season before flowers form. You can even fertilize the soil before planting.
Sesame plants are fairly easy to care for and don’t need to be pruned often. However, if they look too long or become sickly due to too much water, you can trim the leaves as needed. Just be sure to leave enough leaves on the plant so it can continue to produce food through photosynthesis. If you need to remove leaves, just gently break them off, but leave bell-shaped flowers alone.
Sesame plants are indeterminate plants, meaning they continue to flower and produce seed pods for a long period during the summer, with peak flowering in July and early August.
Sesame plants can be propagated by seed. For this method, seeds from a recent harvest or even from the supermarket will do. Sesame seeds should not be sown directly outdoors. Here’s how to start them indoors.
Four to six weeks before the last frost date, fill the pots with moist seed mix.
Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep and cover them lightly with soilless planting mix.
Keep them moist until they germinate in about 10-14 days. Sesame seeds germinate best in temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees.
Water about once a week until the plants are sturdy enough to plant outdoors.
After the last frost date, harden off the seedlings and plant them in the garden.
Sesame seeds are very small and difficult to dry, but they need to be stored dry to prevent them from going rancid, which is entirely possible due to their high oil content, so it’s important to make sure they dry sufficiently on the plant inside the seed pod before harvesting.
Sesame seeds ripen from the bottom up, with the first flowers appearing further down. When the seed pods start to burst, which happens in late summer, cut the stems and lay them flat in a dry place. If you hang them, the seeds will fall out, but you can do it this way too if you have a tray or bucket to catch the seeds.
The plant’s leaves will darken as they dry, and the pods will continue to burst open. Then you can tap the stems and pods against the sides of a bucket to catch the seeds. Some enthusiasts toast the dried seeds before storing, as this can help preserve their flavor and prevent spoilage.
When growing sesame plants, it is important to keep them in a smaller pot until the root system is well developed. If you are planting multiple seeds, you can use an old egg carton or a small nursery pot. Once the plant is fully grown and larger, you can transplant it into a pot no more than two inches larger in diameter than the current pot. Transplanting the plant into a larger pot could shock it, so it is best to avoid this.
Sesame plants can be attacked by a variety of pests, the most damaging being aphids and grasshoppers. In extreme infestations, these pests can inhibit photosynthesis and eventually cause the plant to die. Pests with a milder effect include owl moths, caterpillars and whitefly.1
The sesame plant is fairly resilient but still susceptible to some problems such as root rot.2 Using well-draining soil and a porous pot will prevent standing water and allow the soil to dry out quickly. These plants can also be affected by bacterial leaf spot, which initially appears as water spots on the underside of the leaves until they turn dark brown and spread to the top.
Many people only think of the seeds that sesame plants produce, but they actually produce quite showy trumpet or bell-shaped flowers that are a beautiful sight in any garden.
The sesame plant begins blooming during the hottest summer months, which are in August in most growing zones.
Once the plant begins blooming, you can expect it to bloom for the rest of the season.
The flowers of the sesame plant are tubular and can be light purple or blue, pink or white.
If you give your plant full sunlight and warmth, you will encourage more flowers. It also helps to give the plant plenty of spacing to allow for better air circulation around it.
In most areas, the sesame plant does not reach its peak until late summer. Continue to care for it in the same way, keeping it free of standing moisture and giving it plenty of direct light. You can harvest the seeds even if the plant continues to flower and produce more pods.
If you are growing your sesame plant as a pollinator, you can remove the flowers before the flowers set seed. If you are growing it to harvest the seeds, you do not need to remove the wilted flowers. Allow the flower to stand until grooved seed pods develop. Once these pods are mature, they will burst open and release the seeds.
Challenges in growing sesame plants often arise from excess moisture and extreme humidity. To avoid these potential problems, choose your planting location carefully and make sure it stays warm and dry throughout the growing season.