How To Grow Sassy Sorrel In A Pot

Sorrel grown in a pot, is a tart tasting perennial plant that grows well in zones 4-9 in the USA. The plant is rich in Vitamin C, iron, and manganese. It’s easy to grow in a container and is beautiful to look at too. Sorrel has a slight lemony flavor with the best taste coming from leave a few inches long. It is used as an herb or baby green in salads. Too much sorrel can overwhelm flavors so its good to add with rice or potatoes in a heavier dish. Sorrel is from the buckwheat family.

Best Soil For Sorrel

Sorrel in a pot prefers well-drained soil with rich organic matter worked in. Its ideal pH is from 5.5 to 6.8. Sorrel reseeds itself so spreads throughout a garden bed. By planting sorrel in a pot, you minimize the spread of sorrel throughout your garden.

Direct Seed Or Transplant Sorrel Into Pots

Seeds can be spread on well worked soil. Plant about an inch apart 1/4″ deep. The seedlings should be thinned to about 8″ apart when they are 1″ tall and have a set of true leaves. Continue to plant every few days to get a continuous supply of young leaves. Once they are 6″ tall, you can harvest the first crop. If you leave some for perennial plants, you should thin them with 12″ space between.

Transplants can be set outside a week after the last hard frost. Set the seedlings in the soil so the crown is just above the soil level. Plant the seedlings 12″ apart. If you staggered your seed pots as you did the direct seeds, continue to plant the sorrel in pots so you have a continuous supply.

How To Plant And Care For Sorrel

Once the sorrel is in a pot, water weekly around the plant stem. Keep water off of the leaves to prevent fungus or rot. Young leaves can be harvesting and a stand of sorrel can be used to bolt (produce seeds) and reseed itself in the pot. Sorrel in a pot grows best in full sun but it can tolerate partial shade if it’s too hot.

If you use clay pots, make sure to seal the pots so moisture is retained in the pot. Sorrel in a pot does not tolerate dry conditions. You must keep it moist so using mulch will help retain moisture at the roots.

You can transplant sorrel stands by uprooting a clump of sorrel and using a sharp hand trowel to cut clumps off of the bunch. Keep clumps with good roots to plant in a new location. Sorrel in pots does not need additional fertilizer if you started with an organic-rich soil. But if plants look peaked, add a 10-10-10 fertilizer to the soil or liquid fertilizer at the stem base.

Diseases And Pests Of Sorrel In A Pot

Sorrel is quite hardy so it does not have many pests. In addition, when you grow sorrel in a pot, it is easy to keep it away from its most common pest, aphids. You can also grow mint plants near sorrel to attract the beneficial insects that kill aphids. Most aphid infestations can be sprayed off with water if found early enough. Make sure to turn over and inspect leaves. Keep the sorrel out in the sun after spraying so the leaves are able to dry.

Snails or slugs can be kept out of sorrel by putting salt along the rim of the pot or using diatomaceous earth.

Companion Plants Of Sorrel

Members of the mint family help to attract insects that protect sorrel from aphids. Other companion plants of sorrel are strawberries and herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Harvesting Sorrel

Sorrel in a pot is easy to harvest but tastes best when it is only a few inches tall. These young leaves can be used as additions to salad or eaten with rice and curry sauces. If you let sorrel grow and it gets two long leaves that are inedible, cut the plant an inch or two above the crown. This should be in the fall when it is past the hot stage of summer. You will get fresh young leaves to harvest.

Young sorrel is ready to harvest in 30-40 days. You can cut the whole bunch at the crown when it is about 6″ and it will send out new young leaves. If you let leaves get too long or grow bitter, you can leave the plants until fall when they will send out new young leaves. Then pull up the whole plant when they freeze and compost.

You can dry sorrel for an herb seasoning by cutting up young leaves. Dry them as you do other herbs in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes or so stirring lightly. The dried leaves can be stored in airtight containers or frozen to add to soups.

Great Recipes With Sorrel

I’ve never cooked with sorrel but Kitchn.com has provided 7 Recipes to use up a Bunch of Sorrel. When you grow sorrel in a pot, you will most likely have a bunch or two to use on these great recipes. I like the salmon with sorrel because I think the lemony flavor of sorrel would go well with the fish.

Conclusion

My laptop space bar stopped working half way through this post yesterday. But I had already told myself I was going to plant sorrel in a pot because it is a staple found in most buffet style restaurants in Malaysia. In fact, Malaysia uses a lot of uncommon herbs or leafy plants for salad to go with rice and the robust curries found here. Let me know if you will grow sorrel in a pot.