Blood sorrel

Rumex sanguineus redvein dock, red-veined dock
Other names
redvein dock, red-veined dock
Botanical name
Rumex sanguineus
Plant category
Leafy Vegetables

General

Blood sorrel
EQRoy/Shutterstock.com

Blood sorrel looks very decorative with its (blood-)red veined leaves. Like its relatives, common sorrel and French sorrel, it's a perennial – but unlike them, it doesn't taste sour.
In autumn, the sorrel dies back and usually pushes out fresh leaves again by early April.

Facts and figures

Light requirements
Sun / partial shade
Nutrient requirements
Light feeder
Difficulty level
Easy
Culture (according to Gertrud Franck)
Row spacing
25 cm
Plant spacing
20 cm
Growth height
50 - 80 cm
Sowing depth
1 cm
Germination temperature (minimum)
3 °C
Germination temperature (optimal)
16 - 23 °C
Germination type
Light
Pre-growing period
30 days

Times

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Direct sowing
Pre-grow
Transplant
Harvest

SummerDirect sowing from Early March to Late June. Transplant to bed from Early March to Late June. Pre-grow about 30 days before planting out, approximately between Early February and Late May. Harvest begins around Mid April and continues until Late October.

AutumnDirect sowing from Early August to Late August. Transplant to bed from Early August to Late August. Pre-grow about 30 days before planting out, approximately between Early July and Late July. Harvest begins around Late September and continues until Early November.

Location and soil

Since it's perennial and has a certain tendency to spread, you don't necessarily need to plant it in your vegetable bed. A sunny to partially shaded spot, ideally somewhere moist in the garden, is perfectly fine for it.

Neighbourhood

Tarragon is a bad neighbour.

Bad neighbours

Crop rotation

After about four years in the same spot, you should rejuvenate the plants. That means you dig them up, divide them and replant them somewhere else. You can give the leftover plants away to neighbours or other lovely people.

Care and fertilising

For feeding, an occasional splash of plant liquid fertiliser or plant tea is enough. Keep it regularly moist.
To harvest leaves on a regular basis, you need to cut the sorrel back 3 to 4 times a year to prevent it from flowering and setting seed. Make sure to leave the inner leaves, the "heart", intact.