Sorrel collected in nature is unfortunately sometimes contaminated with pesticides, fox tapeworm or dog droppings. You can also grow this fast-growing plant for consumption in your own garden.
How to grow sorrel in the garden?
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) can be easily grown in your own garden. The plant prefers a sunny to partially shaded location, medium-heavy, deep soil and a pH value below 6. Sowing takes place in March or August, harvesting before mid-June.
How does sorrel grow?
The sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is a very persistent and partially wintergreen plant that sprouts from its rootstock every year in spring. The leaves of this knotweed plant have been a wild vegetable that has been valued for centuries. The herbaceous plant grows to a height of between 30 and 100 centimeters depending on the location and usually flowers from May to August. The tender leaves are used after harvest in a similar way to spinach and can serve as a basis for the following dishes:
- hot or cold dock soup
- as an ingredient in salads and omelettes
- in the Frankfurt Green Sauce
Which location does the sorrel prefer?
The growth of sorrel in the garden depends on whether it grows in the sun it values or in partial shade. Locations that are too shady only produce poorly growing plants. The subsoil should provide the sorrel roots with medium-heavy and deep soil, and the pH value should be below 6 if possible. During dry summer phases, water should be sufficient so that the soil does not dry out too much.
When should sorrel be sown?
Sorrel is usually sown in rows in March and isolated later. Sowing is still possible in August, but then a harvest is only possible in the following spring and summer.
Can the sorrel be transplanted?
Young plants grown from seeds can be transplanted relatively well if they are dug up with as complete a root as possible. With larger plants, the roots of the sorrel can reach quite deep into the soil. If the roots are injured during transplanting and part of the root remains in the ground, a new plant will grow in the same location due to vegetative propagation.
When is the sorrel harvested?
The best time to harvest the tender leaves is before mid-June. After this point, the oxalic acid content of the leaves usually increases to a stomach-irritating level, which can be seen in the red color of the leaf tips.
How do you increase the yield of sorrel?
When growing sorrel specifically, it is recommended to regularly remove the inflorescences of the otherwise easy-care sorrel in order to stimulate leaf growth.
Tips & Tricks
Once the sorrel has established itself in the garden, it can multiply rapidly under suitable conditions. Removing them from the lawn or vegetable patch requires a lot of effort due to the very germinable seeds and deep roots.
