How to Grow Sorrel
Sorrel At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Polygonaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Sorrel handles frost, so sow it about 2 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow a few seeds 1 cm deep in small groups 30 cm apart and keep the soil moist. They sprout in 7 to 14 days: thin them (pull the extras) to one plant per spot, and eat the thinnings.
Sorrel is one of the first greens each spring and comes back every year, so one sowing feeds you for years. Its leaves taste sharp and lemony. It sends up flower stalks in summer, and cutting them off keeps the leaves coming.
When To Start
Sorrel likes cool weather. Sow it in early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Sorrel?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Sorrel Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Sorrel Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow sorrel outdoors now, it handles frost
2 weeks before your last frost
Start picking young sorrel leaves
About 60 days after you plant it· every year
Snip off sorrel flower stalks to keep leaves coming
75 days after your last frost· every year
Did you water your sorrel seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the sorrel seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 24 days after you plant it
How is your sorrel doing? Keep the soil evenly moist for soft, tender leaves.
About 34 days after you plant it
Your sorrel is nearly ready. Pick the outer leaves while they are young, they get sharper with age.
About 54 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your sorrel.
About 60 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Sorrel's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
1 cm
Seeding Depth
30 cm
Plant Spacing
40 cm
Row Spacing
4
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow sorrel in full sun or part shade, since a little afternoon shade keeps the leaves tender in summer.
- 2Mix compost into the soil before sowing, as it likes rich, moist soil.
- 3Water about once a week in dry spells, because dry soil makes the leaves tough and sour.
- 4Spread compost or worm castings around the plants each spring.
- 5Cut off flower stalks as soon as they appear so the plant keeps making leaves.
- 6Pick slugs and snails off by hand in the evening, and keep pets from eating it, since sorrel can make them sick.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~60
Days to Maturity
45 cm
Mature Height
30 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
120 days
When to Pick
Pick outer leaves young and tender; they get sharper and tougher with age
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking once plants have several leaves about 10 to 15 cm long.
- 2Pick the outer leaves at the base and leave the centre to keep growing.
- 3Young leaves are the mildest, so pick often to keep fresh ones coming.
- 4If the leaves get tough in midsummer, cut the whole plant down to 5 cm and it will regrow tender leaves.
- 5Use it raw in salads or cook it into soups and sauces, but eat it in moderate amounts, since it is high in oxalic acid (the sour part, also found in spinach and rhubarb).
- 6Store the leaves in a bag in the fridge for a few days.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Sorrel comes true from seed, but it can cross with other sorrels and wild docks, so save seed from one kind only. Common garden sorrel has separate male and female plants, so leave a few plants to flower together. Let one or two stalks stand until the seeds turn reddish brown and dry, then cut them into a paper bag. Rub the seeds free, dry them a few more days, and store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep a few years.
Seed Production
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