Sorrel

Sorrel: plant 30 cm (12 in) apart in the row and 40 cm (16 in) between rows, 2 per square. Good neighbours: Carrot, Beetroot, Radish.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	30 cm (12 in)
Between rows	40 cm (16 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	2 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	15 cm (6 in)
Height when grown	45 cm (18 in)
Crop rotation group	Anywhere in the rotation
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, by dividing a clump
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	10
Sowing depth	1 cm (0.4 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 16–21 °C
Days to emerge	5–10 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 5 °C

From seedling to plant

Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, stays moist, pH 6–7
In a pot	6 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while leaves grow
Feeding	Moderate; at planting, while growing
Support and training	None needed

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	60–80 days, from sowing
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 16–24 weeks
Sow again every	14 days
Typical yield	2–4 kg per m²
Botanical family	Polygonaceae
Watch out for	Slugs and snails, aphids, downy mildew
First crop after	1 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Good neighbours

Why, with the sources →

Plan Sorrel in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Sorrel onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow outdoors	Apr–Jun
Harvest	May–Oct

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Sorrel →

From the same family

Plants of the Polygonaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Sorrel — RxList for: safety; checked 2026-10-28

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