Skip to main content
← All plants

Garden Sorrel Microgreens

Rumex acetosa
Also known as: Common Sorrel, Garden Sorrel, Sour Dock, Spinach Dock

Garden Sorrel Microgreens is a microgreen in the Polygonaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 4-8. Plants reach harvest about 10–21 days after planting and sit about 12 inches apart.

Varieties

1 from True Leaf Market · sorted by days to maturity
  • Large Leaf10–21 days

    Heirloom

    Resealable bag of Large Leaf Sorrel seed for growing microherbs. Sorrel grows best in soil and has a delightful lemony tang.

    View on True Leaf Market
Family
Polygonaceae
Category
Microgreen
Form
Microgreen
Lifecycle
perennial
Zone
4-8
Height
Spread
1.5–2 ft
Sun
Full sun to part shade

Plant spacing

1 plant per square footSquare-foot planting diagram: one garden sorrel microgreens fills a 1-foot square, spaced 12 inches from its neighbors.
1 plant per square foot

In a square-foot bed, space garden sorrel microgreens about 12 in apart — that fits 1 plant in each 1-foot square (1×1). Wider rows or containers space the same.

Water
Medium

Plan your garden sorrel microgreens planting

Add garden sorrel microgreens to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.

Start your free plan →

At a glance

Days to harvest
10–21 days
From transplant or sow to first harvest
Harvest style
Keep picking
Crops over several weeks
After harvest
Use within days
Quality eases off after peak
Frost tolerance
Hardy · to ~15°F
Lowest temperature the foliage usually survives
Germination
~65%
Typical minimum germination rate

Storing & preserving

Use fresh — refrigerate briefly; not suited to preserving.

General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Growing timeline

When to plant and harvest garden sorrel microgreensPlanting timeline for garden sorrel microgreens, relative to last frost: grow from 4 weeks before last frost to 3 weeks before last frost; harvest from 3 weeks before last frost to 1 week before last frost.GrowHarvestLast frostDirect sow
Direct-sow garden sorrel microgreens 4 weeks before last frost; first harvest 3 weeks before last frost.
Outdoor planting
-28 to -14 days vs frost
Propagation
Seed
Schedule anchor
Last Frost

Care & troubleshooting— extension-sourced, with citations

When to feed, prune & water

Clean up debris and sanitize at season end

Sanitation

Unusual this time of year.

  • Routine careRemove spent plants and fallen debrisstrong evidence — extension confidence

    Pull and clear old plants, dropped fruit, and leaf litter at season end, since many pests and diseases overwinter in this debris; dispose of diseased material rather than composting it.

    Source: UMN Extension; Cornell

  • Routine careClean tools, stakes, and cagesmoderate evidence — extension confidence

    Wash and sanitize stakes, cages, and tools that touched diseased plants before storing or reusing them to avoid carrying pathogens into next season.

    Source: Cornell; UMN Extension

Something looks wrong?

Describe what you see on your garden sorrel microgreensand we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.

Japanese beetles

Pestmoderate

Symptoms: leaves skeletonized between veins; lacy chewed foliage; metallic green-bronze beetles clustered on plants; feeding worst in warm midsummer sun

Slugs & snails

Pestmoderate

Symptoms: large ragged holes with smooth edges; slimy silvery trails; damage worst after rain and overnight

  • CulturalTrap, hand-pick at night, reduce cover· every 2 days · ~3 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence

    Pick at night with a flashlight, set shallow beer traps, water in the morning so soil dries by dusk, and clear damp hiding spots.

    Source: UC IPM: Snails and Slugs

  • OrganicIron-phosphate bait - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence

    Scatter a labeled iron-phosphate slug bait sparingly per the label; it's pet- and wildlife-safer than metaldehyde.

    Always follow the product label — it is the law.

    Source: UC IPM

Aphids

Pestlow

Symptoms: clusters of tiny soft-bodied insects on new growth and undersides; sticky honeydew or sooty mold; curled distorted new leaves; ants tending them

  • CulturalBlast off with water· every 3 days · ~2 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence

    Knock colonies off with a strong jet of water in the morning; repeat every few days. Light infestations rarely need more.

    Source: UC IPM: Aphids

  • OrganicInsecticidal soap - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence

    For persistent colonies apply insecticidal soap to undersides per label. Avoid open flowers.

    Always follow the product label — it is the law.

    Source: UC IPM