Growing Sorrel in Australia: The Complete Guide

Sorrel is an easy leafy green to grow, needing full–part sun with regular watering.

We get asked about sorrel often enough that it's worth setting out the full picture here, beyond what fits on our printable card.

Every crop earns its place in a garden differently, and sorrel is no exception. At a glance, it's rated easy, with a sun of full–part sun; water of regular; soil ph of 6.0–6.8 — details that matter more once you're actually planning around them than they do on a first read. The rest of this article works through exactly what each of those means day to day, in more depth than a single printable card has room for, and with the reasoning behind each recommendation rather than just the recommendation itself.

Climate and Timing Considerations

Australia's climate zones change growing timing more than most general advice accounts for. Cool temperate zones (Tasmania, the Victorian highlands, southern NSW) have recurring frost risk well into what other zones call spring, which compresses the safe planting window for frost-tender plantings. Warm temperate zones (Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth) sit closest to what general advice assumes by default. Subtropical zones (Brisbane, northern NSW) rarely see frost at all, and the growing calendar shifts earlier and later as a result. Our site-wide zone setting adjusts the advisory note shown on the Planting Calendar for exactly this reason — worth setting once if you haven't already. The same zone setting also feeds the Harvest Calendar, so both ends of the growing cycle reflect wherever you actually garden, rather than a generic Australia-wide average.

• Cool Temperate (TAS, VIC highlands, southern NSW, ACT): shorter frost-free window — lean toward the later end of any spring planting window shown on the guide above.
• Warm Temperate (Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, coastal NSW/WA): closest match to the general timing shown above; frost is occasional but rarely severe.
• Subtropical (Brisbane, northern NSW, coastal QLD): minimal frost risk — often plantable a few weeks earlier and later than the general window shown above.

A tangy, low-maintenance perennial

A lemony, sharp-tasting perennial green that comes back reliably each year with minimal input — a useful, unusual addition to salads once established.

Getting Sorrel Into the Ground

Method. Direct sow or divide an established clump.

Soil. Rich, moisture-retentive.

Timing. Plant in spring or autumn.

None of these are difficult individually — the value is in getting all of them right at once.

Keeping It Growing Well

The key things to get right:

• Remove flower stalks promptly to keep leaf production going.
• Water regularly — leaves toughen and turn bitter under drought stress.
• Divide clumps every few years to renew vigour.
• Harvest outer leaves continuously.

None of these are complicated on their own, but skipping one is a common source of trouble — remove flower stalks promptly to keep leaf production going. Harvest outer leaves continuously. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

What Can Go Wrong

A few things matter most here:

• Leaf miner — pale tunnels; remove affected leaves.
• Rust — orange spotting; improve airflow.
• Bolting — remove flower stalks promptly.
• Few other issues — a generally trouble-free perennial.

These aren't equally important, but all of them are worth building into your routine — leaf miner — pale tunnels; remove affected leaves. Few other issues — a generally trouble-free perennial. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

When and How to Harvest

Signs. Leaves reach usable size, harvested continuously through the growing season.

Method. Snip outer leaves, leaving the centre to keep producing.

Curing. None needed.

Storage. Fridge, a few days.

Preserving. See Freezing Produce for blanching and freezing a glut.

These few details do most of the actual work, more than any single trick or shortcut would.

Companions & rotation

Our printable card above lists specific plants that pair well nearby and others best avoided, along with a rotation note: Strawberry, None major. Getting this right matters more over multiple seasons than it does in any single one — the benefits and the risks of poor rotation both compound over time rather than showing up immediately.

Related Guides

If sorrel suits your garden, these related guides in the same category are worth a look too:

• English Spinach
• Lettuce
• Mustard Greens
• Rocket

That's the full picture behind sorrel. The printable A4 version of this guide — with the quick-reference gauges and diagram in one page — is available on the main guide page below. If you're planning a whole bed rather than a single plant, our Companion Planting Checker is worth using alongside this guide. As with every guide on this site, this is general information based on our own research and experience, not professional advice — your specific soil, climate, and circumstances will always vary from ours to some degree.

Beyond the printable card, our Planting Calendar and Harvest Calendar tools will show a zone-adjusted note for sorrel specifically, and the Companion Planting Checker covers the specific pairings mentioned above in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ View the printable A4 guide for sorrel