How to Grow and Care for Sesame Plants

The sesame plant is a tropical perennial that is often grown as an annual. Native to Africa and India, the plant produces the delicious, ubiquitous sesame seeds we see on bagels, in tahini, and as an essential ingredient in many foods. It must have very hot, dry conditions with full sun and well-drained soil with neutral pH. This makes it a challenge for gardeners who don’t live in the appropriate growing zones. Interested in adding sesame plants to your garden? Here are some things you need to know to keep your sesame plant happy and healthy.

Sesame Plant Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a sesame Plant. 

• Plant in a well-draining soil of medium texture with a neutral pH.
• Place in full sun where it will receive the most direct light and heat.
• Water sparingly, being careful not to place with plants irrigated regularly.
• Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer during the growing season.

Light

Sesame plants need plenty of direct sunlight and they like warmth. Try to plant near a stone or brick wall for added heat production.

Soil

Sesame plants are very tolerant of different soil conditions, but good drainage is a necessity. A sandy, loamy soil is a good option. Sesame cannot handle standing water, wet soils, or heavy clay soils, nor will it tolerate salty soil or salt air.

Water

While regular watering is important for germination and establishing young plants, sesame plants don’t need much water. Furthermore, it’s best not to situate them near other plants that get watered regularly. Giving them their own raised bed or section of garden ensures appropriate moisture and low humidity.

Planting them alongside other drought-tolerant plants (like lavender, thyme, or sedums) is a good idea. Do not use drip irrigation as this will drown the plants.

Temperature and Humidity

The sesame plant’s ability to withstand hot dry desert conditions makes it a very valuable food crop for parts of the world troubled by drought.

Fertilizer

Sesame plants require nitrogen foliar fertilizer throughout the growing season before flowers begin to form. You can even fertilize the soil before planting.

Pruning

Sesame plants are pretty low-maintenance and don’t require a lot of pruning. However, if they start to look too long or get sick because of too much water, you can trim the leaves as necessary. Just be sure to leave enough leaves on the plant so that it can still make food through photosynthesis. If you need to remove any leaves, just snap them off gently, but make sure to leave any bell-shaped flowers alone.

Sesame are indeterminate plants, which means they will continue to bloom and set seed capsules over a long period in the summer, with peak flowering in July and early August.

How to Grow Sesame Plants From Seed

Sesame plants can be propagated by seed. Seeds from a recent harvest or even just from the grocery store will be sufficient for this method. Sesame seeds should not be directly sown outdoors. Here’s how to start them indoors.

1. Fill pots with moist seed-starting mix four to six weeks before the last frost date.
2. Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep and cover lightly with soil-less planting mix.
3. Keep moist until they germinate in about 10-14 days. Sesame seeds germinate best at temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees.
4. Water once a week or so until plants are sturdy enough to plant outside.
5. After the last frost date, harden seedlings off and plant in the garden.

Fun Fact

Sesame plants produce bell-shaped pendulous flowers that look a bit like foxgloves and may be white, purple, or blue.

Harvesting Seeds

Sesame seeds are very small, and drying them is difficult. But they need to be dry for storage so they don’t go rancid, which is a possibility due to their high oil content. Therefore it’s necessary to make sure they dry out sufficiently on the plant inside the seed pod before harvesting them.

Sesame seeds ripen from the bottom of the plant upwards. The first flowers to appear are lower down. As the seed pods begin to split, which happens in late summer, cut the stems and lay them flat in a dry place. Hanging them will cause the seeds to fall out, but you can do it this way 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 split open. Then you may 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 to preserve their flavor and prevent spoilage.

Potting and Repotting Sesame Plants

When growing sesame plants, it is important to keep them in a smaller pot until the root system is well-established. If you are planting multiple seeds, you can use an old egg carton or a small nursery pot. Once the plant matures and becomes larger, you can transfer it to a pot that is no more than two inches larger in diameter than its current pot. Transferring the plant to a larger pot could shock it, so it is best to avoid doing so.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Sesame plants may be attacked by a variety of pests with the most damaging being green peach aphids and grasshoppers. In extreme infestations, these pests can inhibit photosynthesis and eventually cause death of the plant. Pests with a milder effect include cutworms, caterpillars, and whitefly.¹

The sesame plant is fairly resilient but still susceptible to a few problems such as root rot.² Using well-draining soil and a porous pot will prevent any standing water and allow the soil to dry out quickly. These plants may also fall victim to bacterial leaf spot which initially appears as water spots on the underside of the leaves until they turn dark brown and spread to the upper surface.

How to Get Sesame Plants to Bloom

Many people only think of the seeds produced by sesame plants but they actually produce quite showy trumpet- or bell-shaped blooms that make for a lovely sight in any garden.

Bloom Months

The sesame plant begins to bloom in the hottest months of summer which falls in August in most growing zones.

How Long Does Sesame Plant Bloom?

Once the plant begins to bloom, you can expect it to flower for the remainder of the season.

What Does Sesame Plant’s Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The blooms of the sesame plant are tubular in shape and can be light purple or blue, rose, or white.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Maintaining full sunlight and heat for your plant will encourage more blooms. Giving the plant adequate spacing to encourage more air flow around it will also help.

Caring for Sesame Plant After it Blooms

The sesame plant will not peak in blooms until late summer in most areas. Continue to care for it in the same way, keeping it free of standing moisture and in plenty of direct light. You can harvest the seeds even while the plant is continuing to flower and produce more pods.

Deadheading Sesame Plant Flowers

If you’re growing your sesame plant as a pollinator, you can deadhead flowers before letting the blooms go to seed. If you’re growing to harvest the seeds, there is no need to deadhead. Leave the bloom until grooved seedpods develop. Once these pods mature, they will burst open and spill the seeds.

Common Problems with Sesame Plants

Growing challenges with sesame plants commonly stem from excessive moisture and extreme humidity. To avoid these potential issues, select your planting location carefully keeping in mind where it can stay warm and dry during the entire growing season.

FAQ

• How long can sesame plants live?Sesame plants are perennials, meaning they can live two years or more when planted in the zones where they thrive. If planted outside a tropical zone, they may be thought of more as an annual and will not live after the frost sets in.
• Where should I plant my sesame plant outside?Plant sesame in an area that receives direct, full sunlight for optimal growth. Allow for adequate spacing among other plants for good airflow.
• Can you grow sesame plants indoors?Sesame plants like lots of light and heat, so they usually will not fare as well indoors. This being said, if you’re able to provide the plant the light and warmth it needs indoors, it may still do well.