Scientific Name: Rumex acetosa

Common Names: Sorrel 'Garden', Garden Sorrel, Common Sorrel, Spinach Dock

Family: Polygonaceae

Origin:

Garden Sorrel is a perennial leafy green with a wide natural distribution being native to most of Europe and parts of Central Asia.  This is an open-pollinated variety meaning that you can collect seeds from the plants that you grow and they'll be viable and grow true to type.

Culinary Uses:

Garden Sorrel can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a leafy green vegetable.  Garden Sorrel is high in oxalic acid which is responsible for its sour taste when eaten raw.  Oxalic acid is mildly toxic so raw Sorrel should be eaten in moderation, particularly if you are prone to getting kidney stones as oxalic acid is contributing factor in their development.  Cooking Sorrel then discarding the water will leach out some of its oxalic acid content and give it a milder flavour similar to cooked spinach and other green leafy vegetables.  Sorrel is rich in Vitamins A and C as well as Magnesium.

Growing Tips:

Choose a growing site for Sorrel that receives partial shade.  Ensure the soil is free draining, dig lots of organic matter included well rotted animal manures, compost and worm castings through your vegetable beds to improve your soil structure and provide your Sorrel plants with the nutrients they seed to grow.  Consider growing Garden Sorrel in raised beds if your soil is too compacted or heavy with clay.  For a bumper sorrel crop fertilise your plants monthly with a complete organic liquid or pelleted fertiliser, compost tea or worm juice.  Mulch around Sorrel plants with sugar cane mulch to retain moisture, keep their roots cool and reduce competition from weeds.  Water plants daily until they are established and then once every few day thereafter.  Garden Sorrel is frost hardy.  Garden Sorrel may self seed if growing conditions are favourable, cut off any flower heads before they set seed if this becomes a problem.  Sorrel grows best in soil with a slightly acidic pH between 5.7 and 6.7.

When To Sow:

Garden Sorrel should be sown from September to November or during March in temperate regions of Australia.  In subtropical regions sow Garden Sorrel from March to September.  In tropical regions sow during the dry season from April to July.  In cold and mountainous regions sow from October to December.

How To Sow:

Sow Garden Sorrel seeds 6mm deep spacing plants about 25cm apart to give them room to grow.

Germination Time:

The majority of Garden Sorrel seedlings will emerge 7 to 14 days after sowing.

Time To Harvest:

Garden Sorrel takes between 8 and 9 weeks to start producing, although waiting for plants to grow bigger when they have more energy will result in more frequent harvests.  Leaves are best picked when young as they become tougher with age.  Older leaves left on the plant will provide energy for newer leaves to form.