When to plant sorrel in Xiaogan

Why these dates

Sow direct four weeks before the last frost, or in autumn. Cut the whole plant back in midsummer for a fresh flush of tender leaves.

Very hardy, to about -20C, and often the first green thing in the garden.

Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Sorrel are timed for direct sowing 4 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Xiaogan.

Xiaogan sits in zone 8b, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 1, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Xiaogan →