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How to Grow Sorrel UK | Regional Planting Calendar
Move through the SoilCommander growing library like a course: keep the navigation in place, open the next lesson, and build your garden plan step by step.
In the UK, sorrel go in the ground early April to late June.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) — perennial.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 4 separate regional sowing windows, ranging from early April in Southern England to early April in Scotland.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.
RHS: sow indoors in spring, or outdoors from mid-spring to early summer. A single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient; sorrel is a British native hardy across RHS zones H3-H7 and suitable for all areas of the UK.
Midlands - detail & sources
RHS: sow indoors in spring, or outdoors from mid-spring to early summer. A single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient; sorrel is a British native hardy across RHS zones H3-H7 and suitable for all areas of the UK.
Northern England - detail & sources
RHS: sow indoors in spring, or outdoors from mid-spring to early summer. A single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient; sorrel is a British native hardy across RHS zones H3-H7 and suitable for all areas of the UK.
Scotland - detail & sources
RHS: sow indoors in spring, or outdoors from mid-spring to early summer. A single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient; sorrel is a British native hardy across RHS zones H3-H7 and suitable for all areas of the UK.
Sow indoors in spring or outdoors mid-spring to early summer, about 1cm deep, in fertile moisture-retentive soil in sun or partial shade; germination can take several weeks (RHS).
Thinning and establishment
1
Thin seedlings to 20-30cm apart and water regularly through dry spells until plants establish (RHS).
Leaf harvest
4
Pick young leaves from the first spring growth right through into autumn; frequent picking encourages tender new growth. Leaves can be ready within about 8 weeks of sowing (RHS).
Flower removal and clump maintenance
5
Snip out flower stems as they appear to keep leaf production going and prevent self-seeding; mulch each year in late winter or early spring, and divide congested clumps every four or five years (RHS).
When to pick: Young sorrel leaves can be harvested from when new growth starts in spring right through into autumn. Regular picking produces tender leaves; older foliage becomes tough and bitter (RHS)
Storage
Best used fresh; remove seed stalks that emerge to keep plant productive (UMN)
Directly fetched and verified. RHS explicitly does not recommend pesticide use against aphids; recommends tolerance, manual squashing, and encouraging/purchasing natural predators (ladybirds, hoverflies, lacewings, parasitoid wasps, earwigs) as biological control, especially under glass.
Directly fetched and verified (canonical URL differs from requested URL /biodiversity/slugs -> redirects to /biodiversity/slugs-and-snails). RHS explicitly advises against slug pellets (even organic) due to wildlife harm, and cites RHS's own controlled trial finding no damage reduction from physical barriers (copper tape, bark mulch, eggshell, grit, wool) -- while also noting some other studies have shown copper barriers to repel slugs, a preserved disagreement rather than a silently resolved one. Details Nemaslug (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) biological control including application temperature range and its lack of effect on snails specifically.
5 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I sow sorrel in the UK?
In Southern England, from early April. In Scotland, wait until early April. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow sorrel?
Sow early April to late June, at around 15°C for germination.
What soil pH do sorrel need?
A pH of about 5.5–6.8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
UK vegetable growing guides · Checked against RHS & Met Office guidance
Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real UK growing conditions, and reviewed against Royal Horticultural Society growing advice and Met Office climate data before publication.
Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your UK crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings, a rotation plan and month-by-month sowing dates — every fact sourced from RHS and Garden Organic.
