Sorrel shares an unusual trait with spinach and asparagus (see the glossary): individual plants are often either male or female rather than both, so a reliable seed crop may need more than one clump growing together.
New to terms like isolation distance or outcrossing? See the Seed-Saving Glossary.
Seed-Saving Difficulty
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Moderate Difficulty
Moderate crossing risk.
How It's Pollinated
Wind-pollinated -- often dioecious or polygamous (individual plants can be male, female, or mixed)
(Moderate crossing risk)
Scientific name: Rumex acetosa
Domestic Crops It Can Cross With
- Other sorrel varieties flowering at the same time
Wild Relatives & Feral Species
- Wild dock (Rumex species) is common but usually a different species -- occasional hybridisation is possible with closely related docks growing nearby
Separation Distances Required
Minimum: 200m between varieties
Recommended: 400m for reliable purity
Strict: Bag flower spikes for guaranteed purity
Seed-Saving Strategies
- Perennial -- established clumps flower reliably each year
- Like spinach and asparagus, sorrel often has separate male and female plants -- keep both if you notice this
- Allow flower spikes to dry and turn rust-brown
- Harvest, thresh, and store dry -- viable 3-4 years