How to Grow Sorrel for the Surprisingly Great Taste
With special information on growing red-veined sorrel microgreens

This herb has a small but loyal following in the US, although it’s popular in Europe.  Once you taste it, you’ll realize what you’ve been missing.  There are several delicious types of sorrel to choose from.  And finding out how to grow sorrel from seed only takes a few minutes.  It’s easy to grow and hardy enough to survive most winters, especially when you grow sorrel in pots.  We even give you all the information on drying sorrel so you can store it longer.

What is Sorrel?

This perennial herb is native to parts of Europe and Asia.  It has a zingy lemony flavor that goes well with salads.  It also pairs well with potatoes, carrots, chicken, eggs, fish, salads, and sour cream. And don’t forget delicious sorrel soup!

How about a change from spinach?  Sorrel leaves cook like spinach and look like spinach but have a different taste.  Sorrel is also called dock (not burdock, that’s a different plant).

Since it’s hard to find on the open market, growing sorrel in your vegetable garden may be your only chance to enjoy this tasty herb.

Types of Sorrel

• Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa).  Also known as garden sorrel. This is the type that’s usually cultivated, and it has a sharp flavor.  It’s a long-lasting perennial with deep roots and large arrow-shaped leaves.  If it’s grown in pots, they must be deep to allow room for the roots.
• Red-veined Sorrel (Rumex sanguineus).  This very mild sorrel has red-veined leaves, as the name suggests.  It works well in salads. See the section on “How to Grow Red-veined Sorrel Microgreens” in this article.
• French Sorrel (Rumex scutatus).  This type has rounded leaves and is milder than garden sorrel.
• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella).  This type only grows wild and isn’t cultivated.  You can find it by foraging in most of the United States, and has a flavor like common sorrel with smaller leaves.  Large doses of the raw herb can cause digestive disturbances, diarrhea, and poisoning.  These problems are due to the high oxalic acid and tannin concentrations in sheep sorrel.  Boiling the leaves will reduce the levels of these toxins.  After boiling, discard the water.
• Jamaican Sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa).  Also known as roselle. In this case, “sorrel” is a Caribbean name for a hibiscus flower and has nothing to do with common sorrel.  It’s used to make a trendy Caribbean drink.
• Wood Sorrel (Oxalis montana).  This plant is also wild and is best eaten in small quantities.  Large quantities can cause health issues due to high concentrations of oxalic acid.  It can cause diarrhea, increased urination, nausea, and digestive system irritation.  Add skin reactions and eye or kidney damage to that list.  We’re not done.  It can also cause swelling of the mouth, tongue, and throat.  Wood sorrel leaves look like clover but are heart-shaped instead of rounded.  This plant is poisonous to cats, dogs, and horses, so you’re better off leaving it alone for dietary purposes.

Preparing the Soil

Sorrel prefers full sun but will need partial shade in hotter climates.  It does best in cool growing seasons, like spring and early fall. Sorrel will bolt if the weather becomes hot and dry.  To keep it in production, grow it in moist, fertile, well-drained soil.  The soil should be a little acidic, with a pH of 5.5 – 6.8.

Mix about two inches of well-rotted manure or compost into the soil before planting.  Keep the soil moist but not soggy.  Add mulch to help preserve the moisture.

Sorrel can grow as a perennial in Zones 5 and higher, but it’s most often grown as an annual in Zones 3 – 7.  Once established, the plants can handle light frost.

Growing Sorrel From Seeds

Sow sorrel seeds ½ inch deep in containers or gardens from March to May.  The seeds are tiny, so spread them as well as possible and then thin the seedlings.  Keep the soil moist but not soaked.

Once the seedlings germinate, they’ll need thinning.   A good rule of thumb is four inches for annual growth or 12 inches for perennial.  Perennial growth causes the clumps to grow larger every year.

Sorrel can grow 12 – 18 inches tall, but the flower stalks will grow taller.

A Selection of Seeds to Help You Get Started

Growing Sorrel in Pots

Due to its long tap root, sorrel will need a deep pot for container gardening.  Select pots with drainage holes that are 8 – 12 inches wide and deep.

Fill the pots with potting mix.  You can also use potting soil, which needs amendment for better drainage.  Mix three parts of potting soil with one part each of compost and perlite.  Vermiculite is a good substitute for perlite.

Since sorrel seeds are so small, spread them in the pot as well as you can.  Cover them with 1/2 inch of soil and keep the soil moist.  When the seedlings sprout, thin them so they’re three inches apart.

Caring for Sorrel Plants

If you’re growing sorrel as an annual, extend leaf production by cutting off any flower spikes.  The flower spikes will start growing around June.  Growing sorrel as an annual also prevents root clumps from forming.

When grown as a perennial, there isn’t any reason to always cut off the flower spikes.  The plants will self-seed if allowed to flower and form seed heads.

After a few years, the plants will spread out and form clumps two feet wide.  Divide the root clump every four or five years.  If not, the plants will be of lower quality and less productive.  Root clumps should be 24 inches apart.

Pruning Sorrel

Remove any unhealthy leaves.  As you harvest leaves, the plant will produce bushier growth.

Cut off the flower stalks unless you want to save the seeds or let the plants reseed.

Here are the tools and materials you need for growing microgreens

Harvesting Sorrel

After a month, the plants will be about four inches long.  This is a good time to harvest some of the young leaves.  Grown from seed, the plants will take two months to mature.  Harvesting sorrel can continue through the fall.

Younger plants have softer leaves and a mellower flavor.  Any plants from older clusters have coarser leaves and a more acidic taste.

If you don’t like the flavor of older leaves, cooking can make them more palatable.  Sorrel is poisonous to pets, so don’t let them chew or eat it.

Harvesting Sorrel Seeds

Cut off the seed heads after they dry on the plant.  The seed heads are dry enough when the seeds start falling out.  Put the seed heads in a bowl and shake out the seeds.  Remove any chaff and store the seeds in air-tight containers.

Overwintering Sorrel

Sorrel is hardy and tolerates temperatures down to -20^o F.  The plants will die back and go dormant in the winter and sprout again in the spring.  Cut off dead stems about an inch from the ground and discard them.

Storing Sorrel

Fresh sorrel doesn’t keep well but will stay in the fridge for a week.

• Rinse the leaves and pat them dry.
• Wrap the leaves in paper towels and seal them in storage bags or air-tight containers.

How to Freeze Sorrel

Here are three handy ways to freeze sorrel:

1. Rinse the leaves and dry them completely.  Then, chop them into small pieces and seal them in freezer bags.
2. Take the chopped pieces and put them in ice cube trays.  Top off the cubes with water.  When the cubes freeze, remove them and seal them in freezer bags.  Add the cubes to cooking food whenever they’re needed.
3. Cook the leaves in butter until they wilt and fall apart.  The leaves will look like a puree.  Put the cooked leaves in ice cube trays and move the cubes to freezer bags after they freeze.

Frozen sorrel will last about a year.

Drying Sorrel

Sorrel leaves are large and hold much moisture, so slow methods like air-drying don’t work well.  It can but done, but you run the risk that the leaves will rot or get moldy.

Fast-drying methods use higher heat so that the leaves will lose some of their essential oils.

Store dried whole or ground sorrel leaves in air-tight containers.  Any properly dried herbs will last up to three years.  When dried herbs go “bad,” they lose their flavor to the point that they become useless.  This happens to every dried herb over time.

Drying Sorrel in the Oven

• Set the oven to its lowest temperature.  This will vary depending on the oven model.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lay the sorrel leaves on the parchment paper in a single layer.
• Put the loaded baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Check the leaves.  If they aren’t brittle and crumbly, continue drying for 15-minute intervals until they are.

How to Dry Sorrel in a Dehydrator

• Lay the leaves in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
• Follow the dehydrator instructions for drying herbs.

Drying Sorrel in a Microwave

• Cover a microwave-safe plate or tray with a layer of paper towels.
• Lay the sorrel leaves on the towels in a single layer.
• Cover the leaves with another layer of paper towels.
• Microwave the leaves for 30 seconds and check them for dryness.
• If the leaves aren’t dry enough, continue microwaving in 15-second increments until they are.

Sorrel Companion Plants

• It likes to be near sage, rosemary, and thyme, and also does very well near strawberries.
• Other top companions are lettuce, the onion family, and spinach.
• Tall plants like pole beans, corn, and climbing peas will give sorrel too much shade and stunt its growth.

More information about companion plants is available on our Companion Planting Chart.

Pests and Diseases

Aphids, slugs, and snails can affect many garden crops, even those that repel other pests.

Aphids

Blast aphids off with water or spray them with organic insecticidal soap or neem oil.

Slugs and Snails

These are easy to spot and pick off by hand, but only some people are willing to do that.  Organic insecticidal soap or neem oil works against slugs and snails.  Neem oil is effective against pests that chew on plants or suck their juices.

Spread diatomaceous earth on the ground around the plants.  This will cut any soft-bodied insects as they crawl around. Snail bait can also defeat slugs and snails.

Leaf Miners

These tiny worms hide inside the growing sorrel leaves.  They end up forming yellowish trails, giving the leaves a papery feel.

Any affected leaves should be picked off and burned or thrown in the trash.  Since the leaf miners are in the leaves, spraying won’t work on them.

For more information about controlling pests organically, see our article “Top 5 Natural Pest Control Methods You Can Use Now.”

Root Rot

This fungal disease affects almost any plant sitting in too much water.  The solutions are to water the plants less or move them into well-drained soil.

Powdery Mildew

If you see plants covered with something that looks like baby powder, it might be powdery mildew.  There’s no cure for this fungal disease.  Pull up infected plants and destroy them.

To prevent this disease, keep the plants separated so they get good airflow.  The infection can also spread from other infected plants.  Spraying plants with neem oil will also prevent the mildew from spreading.

Final Thoughts

There are many herbs that aren’t readily available when we’d like to have them.  Growing sorrel in pots or gardens may be the only way we’ll get to enjoy this tasty but little-known herb.

Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Sorrel

Last update on 2025-06-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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