How to grow... Sorrel

Rocket Growing Guides

sorrel

Sorrel is a fast growing herb which produces delicious leaves for salads. It’s not as well known, but it has a strong lemony, our flavour that works brilliantly with seafood dishes.

  • Planting Tips
  • Growing advice
  • Chef's Corner
Choosing a site for growing veg

The right site

Sorrel is extremely low maintenance, so should do well outside wherever you have space.

growing veg in pots and raised beds

Can be grown in....

A raised bed or in a pot.

Autumn Winter Large Vegetable Garden

How far apart?

30-60cm apart.

When your herb plants arrive....

Your baby plants will arrive carefully packed in straw. They may look a little tired from their travels. This is quite normal but, as soon as possible, carefully unpack them all.

Then, stand them upright. The roots may be dry, so give them all a good drink of water by submerging the roots for a few minutes in a container of clean water. Now they are ready to plant.

This herb plant is an annual

This means that it is a plant that completes its entire lifecycle in one year.

Looking after your plants....

Sorrel is so easy to grow and it comes back again year on year – a great herb to grow in the kitchen garden.

Sorrel

Cut off flower shoots

At the start of the season, cut off flower shoots as they appear to increase number of leaves produced

 

Sorrel

Harvest leaves regularly

Cut leaves regularly to encourage more to grow.

They're ready to harvest when....

Cut the leaves as soon as they are a good size. You can se baby leaves in a salad very happily, or cook down bigger leaves.

Jargon Buster

Annual – a plant that completes its entire lifecycle in one year

Perennial – a plant that “dies” down at the end of the season, but comes back to life again year after year

Biennial – a plant that takes 2 years to complete its lifecycle before dying

sorrel

Great with...

Sorrel adds a sharp flavour with a lemony twist to the following foods:

  • Green salads
  • White fish
  • Omelettes

Types to try