- Sorrel is a great come-and-cut again salad plant. Here we offer guidance on sowing and growing to keep this perennial in tip-top condition.
Sorrel is grown as a salad leaf and herb. It is especially popular in French style cooking.
The ‘Red Veined’ variety is commonly added to salads. Sorrel has a lemony zesty flavour and the leaf is attractive and as well as being delicious.
The leaves are added to salads in small amounts where just one or two leaves, chopped finely is enough. It’s used as a tasty addition to sauces and soups. Some consumers might find the flavour too acidic but careful balancing with a sweet dressing helps immeasurably here. Another good reason for its popularity is its hardiness and can provide a crop throughout the Winter.
There are a number of varieties but the most popular is common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) an this has thin leaves. We grow buckler-leaf sorrel which is almost a fleshy weed although it is easy to deal with. Another worth trying is sheep’s sorrel.
The plants are grown in containers as well as in salad plots and vegetable beds. It loves well-drained soil but we also find it growing best in fairly loose, almost impoverished soils and competing well with garden mint. It may be because of the partial shade offered by overhanging trees that appears to help.
Try to grow as a perennial. It is easy to grow from seed which you can find details about below.
It is a good idea not to eat too much sorrel because the leaves contain oxalic acid.
Sowing Outdoors
Sow thinly into cropping locations outside, 2.5cm deep. Do so when the frosts have gone! Ideally, choose a spot where the soil area has already been watered and finely prepared. Keep 30cm spacing between rows. Protect early sowings with a cloche. The seeds are sown between March and September.
It takes between 14 and 21 days for seedlings to appear.
Keep the soil moist by watering the seedlings well enough. It reduces the risk of the plants running to seed.
Seeds can also be sown indoors for a year-round crop in the spring and summer.
If you were organised enough to make early sowings by mid-summer you should be getting some decent leaves. Our tips below will help you with keeping all your sorrel plants lively and productive.
Growing On
When the sorrel plant is still young, its important to keep the soil moist to avoid bolting. Dry hot summers are not great for keeping a sorrel plant healthy. Most plants need to be thinned to 15cm between each one if larger leaves are to be generated.
The crop rarely suffers from diseases but it’ s a good idea to cover the plants especially the seedling with netting or a fine mesh cloche so that hungry birds like pheasant and insects are held at bay.
Division
In order to have decent pickings and for the plant leaves to remain succulent we think it’ s a good idea to divide any established broad-leaved varieties every other year. This is best done during the autumn months. It is easier with container-grown varieties.
The first step is to expose the entire root system and split this into two with a sharp knife or hands. make sure there is healthy growth on top of and under the soil i.e. on both sides. Plant the new plant into a suitable pot or container. Fill with extra compost before watering well to minimise as much stress on the plant as possible. It should develop and produce new leaves in the spring.
Harvesting
If you want to harvest baby leaves, pick just a few leaves from each plant. For mature plants, thin plants to 15cm apart. Leaves on the outside of plants can be picked by hand from around May to October taking a few from each plan to encourage rapid regrowth. Indoor grown plants are harvested all years round.
The yields should be eaten fresh for maximum flavour. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to three days.
Remember that sorrel must be eaten in small quantities because there is a high content of oxalic acid in the leaves which has proved to be an irritant.
Ensure a continuous supply of leaves by sowing seeds every two or three weeks. Harvest between May and October.
Varieties
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Purchase your sorrel seeds here
Sorrel – ‘Red Veined’ – a standard variety. Purchase seeds from Mr Fothergills.