Sorrel consumption is effective method solutions to the problem of vitamin deficiency that affects great amount people at the beginning of spring entering into their own legal rights. Moreover, a novice gardener can grow sorrel in a greenhouse, since the whole process of caring for and growing the plant is not complicated and is cheap for everyone. The plant will provide the whole family with the necessary set of vitamins, plus sorrel can also be grown for sale.
The piquant plant does not require flashy lighting and tolerates frost without complications. But, in order to grow greens, you will still need to make some efforts, choosing the right place for planting and familiarizing yourself with the main nuances of caring for different varieties.
- Sorrel care
- Growing sorrel - video
- Sorrel in a greenhouse - photo
The best varieties of sorrel for growing in a greenhouse
It is optimal to plant adult rhizomes in the last days of February and in the first half of March. Sowing seeds in greenhouse soil can be done throughout March. The most common varieties of sorrel are:
- Belleville - considered productive, early variety, the leaves of the plant have a mild taste with a slight sourness.
- Spinach – this variety contains a huge amount of vitamin C and grows quickly.
- Odessa - the approximate period of ascent of the culture is 45 days, resistant to heat and cold.
- Lyonsky - this variety is distinguished by yellowish-green leaves with a pleasant aftertaste. The only drawback is low resistance to frost.
- Altai variety - characterized by a sharp sour taste. The Altai variety is resistant to cold, green leaves have a reddish tint.
Sorrel seeds
Advice. Experts advise growing sorrel in the same place for 2-3 years, after which time changing the planting location. In another case, the plant will significantly lose its own level of quality, and the yield will also drop to low levels.
Sorrel feels best in loamy soil. Fertilizer must be applied to the planting site. The optimal proportion of the mixture: 6-8 kg of manure or compost is mixed with 40 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium chloride is added. This is enough to fertilize one square meter of soil.
The soil needs to be carefully dug up, after which nitrogen fertilizers must be added.
Growing sorrel from seeds and forcing it from rhizomes
If the landing is made in early spring in sufficiently moist soil, then after 2-7 days it is possible to take the first greens. The seed method is much more often used for planting a primary crop or a new variety. Two days before sowing, the seeds are placed between layers of cotton napkins, placed in a bowl and moistened hot water. After this, the sequence of actions is as follows:
- In a greenhouse, seeds are sown in grooves 2 cm deep. A distance of 4-5 cm must be maintained between seeds, and the row spacing should be around 10-15 cm.
- The cut grooves are filled with soil mixture.
- The earth is mulched with a layer of humus and watered abundantly from a watering can.
After planting sorrel, after 2-3 seven days it is possible to take greens
It is possible to reduce the germination time by using a simple film that covers the bed. With this method, the time required for the crop to rise is reduced by 5-7 days.
The most economical method of growing sorrel is forcing it from old rhizomes. The planting material for this method is the root shoots of plants already intended for disposal. Even before the onset of the first cold weather, the rhizomes are dug up along with the soil, after which they are placed in the cellar. Then you need to do the following:
- furrows are cut 12-14 cm deep, row spacing is 7-11 cm;
- rhizomes are planted at intervals of 5-6 cm;
- at the end of which generous watering is carried out.
The first harvest will appear after 2-3 seven days.
Sorrel prefers loamy soil
Sorrel care
Caring for a young plant involves regular loosening of the soil and active control of other pests and weeds. Sorrel should always be fed and watered abundantly. The leaf rosette will develop poorly if the soil is not sufficiently wet.
You need to water sorrel systematically, it’s a game important role in the pouring of leaves. Peduncles must be removed immediately so that the quality level of the future harvest does not decrease.
One of necessary measures- weeding. Sorrel does not tolerate being together with weeds. In order to speed up the germination of subsequent plantings, after cutting the greenery, any meter of sorrel bed is fed with superphosphate and ammonium sulfate. The entire above-ground part of the plant must be cut off at the root at the end of the growing season.
At the end of which the bed is covered with a layer of peat.
Sorrel needs plenty of watering
The main disease of sorrel is downy mildew. The disease is identified by plaque on the underside of the leaves. To treat the crop, it is recommended to use Bordeaux mixture, spraying of which should be stopped 2-7 days before cutting. The plant suffers from small pests such as caterpillars and sorrel leaf beetles.
To combat them, chemicals are not used; it is enough to treat the plants with a special infusion of dandelion leaves, garlic and celandine.
Sale of greenhouse-grown sorrel
Everything very early has a special treasure. Thus, grown early sorrel can be sold for good price, but as summer approaches, the price of greens drops significantly. It is possible to grow sorrel in a greenhouse without any particular difficulties, since the main pests of the crop are not yet active in early spring, and in most cases, the simplest treatment is enough to combat minor diseases.
Leaves that have reached 8-10 cm in size are plucked at the root and tied into bunches. The bunches must be uniform in height. The finishes are trimmed with a knife.
Selling sorrel is a good business, since the price during demand can be around high levels (depending on the region), but after a month or two, in most cases, the price drops many times over.
Sorrel is picked when the leaves reach 7-8 cm in length
The leaves are cut off 3-7 days after planting, and then as they grow. During the season, it is possible to collect about 8 kg of greenery from each square meter. If sale is not intended, then the leaves are placed in plastic bag and put in the refrigerator for storage.
Having a couple of sorrel plots, it is possible to provide for your own family necessary vitamins, diversify the table with different salads, fresh borscht with herbs. Plus, growing sorrel in a greenhouse can be a successful and profitable business; if you follow all the recommendations and rules for care and planting, you can make a good profit in a short period of time.
It retains its youth and freshness for quite a short time, and therefore anyone who wants to add it to their diet in addition to summer and at other times of the year should know how to prepare sorrel and where it should be stored for long-term storage.
At room temperature
Shelf life: 1-2 days
If you still don’t intend to store sorrel for a long time, it’s quite simple:
- Rinse the sorrel thoroughly with running water;
- Wipe it with a dry towel;
- Place a bunch of leaves in a glass of water for storage.
With this method of storage, sorrel needs to be consumed in the next few days, and then it will begin to lose its beneficial properties.
In a refrigerator
Shelf life: 2 weeks
To preserve the beneficial qualities of sorrel for a longer period of time, it should be kept in the refrigerator:
- Wash the sorrel leaves;
- Dry on a dry towel until the greens are completely dry and no excess moisture remains;
- Place the sorrel bunches in a plastic bag;
- Store it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
However, this option is not suitable for long-term storage of sorrel in fresh- for the whole winter, for example.
In its own juice
Shelf life: 3 months
It's pretty complex method storage of sorrel:
- Jars completely filled with sorrel leaves are immersed in a deep and wide basin or pan;
- The vessel with the jars is placed on medium heat, after which the greens will gradually begin to settle to the bottom;
- Then they throw in more leaves, and so on until the jars are filled to the brim;
- At the end, the jars are tightly closed with plastic lids and placed in the refrigerator or any other dark and cool room.
The resulting product does not deteriorate throughout three months Thanks to the acid contained in sorrel, it is an excellent preservative, and most importantly, natural.
Frozen
Shelf life: 3-12 months
Freezing is the most common option for storing not only sorrel, but also many other greens and various berries. Storage in freezer will allow sorrel to most effectively preserve its aroma, freshness, vitamins and other healthy microelements. However, in the process of preparing a plant for immersion in the freezer, several important steps need to be completed:
- Sort through the greens; it is better not to use overripe sorrel leaves for freezing;
- Rinse the greens. To do this, use a deep container and a lot of water so that all the dirt in the form of soil and dirt settles at the bottom, and the leaves remain intact;
- Cut the sorrel crosswise into small pieces;
- Place the chopped greens in boiling water and soak for 30-60 seconds. The color of the green sorrel will change to olive, but this is how it should be - this will in no way affect its taste or its healing qualities;
- Immediately remove the leaves from the boiling water, preferably using a slotted spoon, to drain the water;
- Place the sorrel on a dry cloth and give it a few hours to cool and dry completely;
- Pack the greens into plastic bags or containers and place in the freezer.
Make sure that when packing, as little air as possible gets into the storage container, and during storage the sorrel is not subjected to defrosting again.
Pickling sorrel
Shelf life: 1-2 years
Salting is characterized by quick preparation for storage:
- Wash and dry the sorrel;
- Cut the leaves into small pieces (optional);
- Place the sorrel in clean glass jars in dense layers, compacting the leaves;
- Sprinkle each layer with salt;
- Close the container with a tight lid;
- Place the preparation in the refrigerator.
Storing canned sorrel
Shelf life: 2 years
There are quite a few ways to preserve sorrel. When preserved, the taste of greens is well preserved, but some vitamins are still lost. Preservation of sorrel is as follows:
- Sterilize the jars using steam - this can be done in the oven;
- Sort the plant and rinse in a deep container in the same way as before freezing;
- After washing, cut off the petioles;
- Dip the sorrel into boiling water and keep it there for 2-3 minutes;
- Pack the leaves into sterile jars;
- Fill the greens with the same boiled water, in which they were before packaging into jars;
- Roll up the jars tightly and place them upside down to cool;
- After a day, store the jars in the refrigerator, basement or cellar.
Drying sorrel
Shelf life: more than 2 years
Dried sorrel is used as a seasoning. This is one of the most simple ways storage of this greenery:
- Sort and rinse the sorrel;
- Dry the plant on a dry cloth;
- Cut the green leaves into small pieces;
- To dry further, spread the sorrel on paper towel and place the same towel on top, which will absorb the remaining moisture;
- Place the herbs to dry on a wide windowsill.
If possible, dry in direct sunlight.
The main advantage of storing sorrel is its acid, which acts as a natural and effective preservative. Therefore, only in some types of storage you only need a little salt and that’s it. useful product And healthy food guaranteed to you at any time of the year.
Video “How to prepare sorrel for the winter easily and quickly”
(10 points, 2 ratings)
Home Literature Greens in winter, forcing, growing and storage Forcing sorrel in a greenhouse
Forcing sorrel in a greenhouse
In winter, in greenhouses, along with other greens, sorrel, which is in great demand, should also be grown. The sorrel harvest during the winter can be increased to 4 kilograms per square meter in a few cuts. Sorrel is expelled from rhizomes that are three or four years old. They are harvested in the fall from sorrel crops that are used for plowing. Thus, planting material sorrel is very cheap.Sorrel is driven out in greenhouses and on racks and in boxes. However, you must keep in mind that it can be cut 5-6 times during the winter, and therefore it occupies shelves for a long time. In this regard, it is most advisable to expel sorrel in portable boxes. Nutrient-rich soil, such as peat manure compost, is enriched with 3-4 kilograms of ammonium nitrate per cubic meter of mass before placing it in boxes. Good soil For forcing sorrel, a peat-humus mixture with complete mineral fertilizer, approximately the same composition as is used in the manufacture of peat-humus pots, is also used. The soil is placed in boxes in a layer of 10-12 centimeters.
Before planting, the roots of the shavel are cut so that they are all the same length - 10 centimeters. Furrows are made in the box and the rhizomes are planted somewhat obliquely, in one row, 3-4 centimeters from each other. Then the plants are covered with earth up to the apical buds, which are left open. The second row is planted 8-10 centimeters from the first, etc.
For the first period of germination, the boxes placed in stacks are left in the corridor of the greenhouse, where moderate humidity and a temperature of 16-18 degrees are maintained.
After the sorrel has taken root well and sprouted, the boxes are transferred to light on additional shelves in the greenhouses. For the first cut, sorrel leaves are ready 20-25 days after planting. Cut them off sharp knife without damaging the apical bud.
After the first and subsequent collections of leaves, sorrel is fed with a solution mineral fertilizers approximately the following composition: ammonium nitrate - 30-40 grams and potassium salt - 15-20 grams per bucket of water.
The second collection of sorrel is carried out 15 days after the first. Subsequent fees give several fewer leaves than the first. The collected sorrel is loosely placed in a solid container and then sent for sale.
Sorrel belongs to that small group of plants that do not require special care. One such plant, serviceberry, has already been discussed. Others will be written about in due time. But still try when growing sorrel a little will be necessary.
I will not carefully describe the appearance and taste of sorrel - you will find tons of encyclopedic information on the Internet. It will be enough to say that sorrel looks greenish and tastes sour. But sorrel is not like that ordinary grass, as it seems at first glance. It contains a lot of oxalic, malic, citric, and ascorbic acids. There are carotene, and, most importantly, vitamins B1, B2, PP, iron, copper, cobalt.
So There are benefits from sorrel, and not small ones. Sorrel is a perennial plant. Once we sow it, we use it for many, many years. Sorrel grows safely at very low temperatures(withstands up to -7 degrees). Here you need to see that after such a frost, the leaves of the sorrel (Belleville variety) in my garden turned a little purple. The commercial value of this plant has become zero. It is still better to cover it with a film or non-woven covering material (agrospan, spunbond, etc.) during frosts. Sorrel also grows in unbearable heat. He tolerates our Kuban 45 degree heat in the shade, but withstands it.
The main value of sorrel in that it is the first to provide in the spring the much-needed greens for making food after winter. Sorrel seeds begin to germinate already at 2-3 degrees. Growing sorrel can be done on all soils. He is undemanding to them. Loves watering, but not waterlogging. For example, the already mentioned Belleville variety noticeably loses color after heavy and prolonged rains - it turns white.
The main varieties of sorrel are Belleville and Large-leaved. The first one is not so green, gentle, the leaves are not very wide. 2nd – more traditional, more powerful, earlier. It is also worth mentioning such varieties as Maikopsky-10, Shikorolistny and exotic Spinach, which has the lowest content of oxalic acid. If there is an organization like “SortSemOvoshch” in your area, then sorrel seeds can be purchased there by weight (unpacked in bags) even cheaper than in stores and on trays.
Planting sorrel
So, when to plant sorrel? Can be planted at first opportunity in early spring. Etc., as you feel comfortable, right until September (in southern regions). In other words, you can sow sorrel in the summer, you just need to take into account the time allowance so that the sorrel sprouts and takes root before the cold weather (in some places a month and a half). If you are growing sorrel for yourself, then plant better in spring. They sow it, and if there is enough water (and in the spring, as usual, there is enough water), it will sprout.
But there is one thing... Sorrel is one of those garden plants that do not grow so quickly. And if there is not enough water (and this happens in our abnormal times), then it will not rise or will rise unevenly.
When planting sorrel, maintain a distance between the rows of approximately 25 cm. We use a hoe to make grooves 4-5 cm deep. If the ground is very damp, you can use an iron pin instead of a hoe - we take it in our hands and make grooves. Take a pinch of sorrel seeds (they are very small) and scatter them moderately along the groove. Cover with loose soil in a layer of less than 1 cm. It is fundamentally. If we sprinkle sorrel seeds with heavy soil, then it may not break through into the snow-white light.
You will see for yourself when to collect fed sorrel. Naturally, young leaves are better, in which less oxalic acid has accumulated.
In the first year of growing sorrel, it forms only leaves. In the 2nd year, general stem formation and flowering begin. But this is not a failure. Take a knife and completely cut off the sorrel at the root. You can mow sorrel with a brush cutter. And after some time you will have him young and beautiful again. Also, if necessary, cut off old, overgrown, unhealthy leaves eaten by pests. And after some time you will have ordinary sorrel. After pruning, water the bed thoroughly to speed up the process of growing new leaves.
We grow sorrel for sale
Peak consumption of sorrel occurs in spring. Everyone wants to eat something green and native after winter. And the earlier we have commercial sorrel (young leaves 10-12 cm in size), the more expensive it can be sold at.
That’s why we prepare the beds and plant sorrel in the summer.
1. We mark where our sorrel will grow, taking into account the fact that we will cover it with film in early spring.
2. Apply fertilizers to the soil. If there is manure, then at the rate of 3-5 kg per square meter. But not everyone has manure. Almost everyone doesn’t have it. Not a failure. Seed stores sell all sorts of different fertilizers in bags. The prices there, naturally, are very respectable (or obscene). We are interested in ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride. The packages tell you what and how much to add to the soil. Maybe you can buy some all-inclusive fertilizer. Because ready-made recipes I don't give it. Read the instructions on the packages and act according to the situation. Actually, You don't have to enter anything. A lot of things grow without any fertilizers. Sorrel first. It’s just that later you can see from the appearance of the plant whether you need to feed it or not.
3. We dig up a plot of land for sorrel.
4. Plant sorrel. Planting sorrel is described in this material above.
More details from this point.
Because we plant in the summer, we sow soaked seeds.
Be sure to water the furrows before planting the seeds. You can simply remove the sprayer from the watering can and water. Cover the sown seeds with loose soil (1 cm layer).
5. Now we need to make sure that the soil where we planted the sorrel is always moist before germination (and later, too, until the sorrel rises a little). Here, too, an important measure is to avoid flooding the crops (so that the seeds in the ground do not rot from waterlogging). It is best to water with a sprayer that creates a small dust of water so that a crust does not form on the soil. But most likely there will be some kind of crust. There is no need to worry too much, because we keep the soil moist.
6. That's it. You can take a break from sorrel until early spring (deep winter). The main thing is that before the cold weather it grows at least a little and takes root.
7. In winter, sorrel can be covered with leaves, or not covered - it does not freeze even in severe frosts. At least it can withstand minus 30 degrees with harsh winds.
8. As early as possible in the spring, or even better at the end of winter, place arcs of steel rods or thick iron wire over the sorrel and stretch the film over the arcs. In other words, we are making an ordinary greenhouse. There will be a separate article about ordinary greenhouse designs. Film - the thicker the better. But here it already depends on your money. Medium thickness will do just fine. Narrow - it just breaks, and it will be worse to protect from frost.
In the spring, on a hot day, we open the film slightly so that the sorrel does not steam. At night we cover the bed again. Opening the film completely on a very hot day is not better - the sorrel can “burn” (wither). Then it will take a few days for him to come to his senses.
Fundamentally! The greenhouse must withstand strong wind, especially since it is installed quite early and lasts for a long time. If the wind tears off the film, then even if it’s not outside subzero temperature, but simply low, then from a huge temperature difference, sorrel can fall ill with some kind of fungal disease.
The best scheme for implementing sorrel
After all the work done, you should have the earliest sorrel in your area growing in your garden. And everything premature has good price. And most importantly, at this time there is a very high demand for all kinds of greens, including sorrel. After winter, many people crave greenish borscht, etc.
It is worth seeing that in early spring all sorts of various garden pests have not yet become active. That’s why our sorrel is beautiful, unspoiled by pests, untreated with chemicals, and environmentally unsullied. (A separate discussion about sorrel pests).
We tear off the sorrel leaves, which have reached a size of 8-12 cm, at the root and knit them into bunches. Read about this in the article “Preparing bunches of greenery for sale.”
You can sell bunches of sorrel on the market yourself (which is even more profitable), or sell them in bulk at the lowest cost.
Sorrel is slowly sold in the summer, but the cost is already significantly lower. In the fall, the price for it is higher, but there is no such demand as in the spring.
In our area, a bunch of sorrel in early spring costs 40-50 rubles and there is a steady (exciting) demand. By summer, the price drops to 10 rubles, and demand is very small. Late autumn– cost 25 rubles. Demand is moderate. This year's prices.
Ask where this data comes from? Let me tell you that I have a very direct connection to this matter.
So, growing sorrel is quite a profitable business. Having several plots of sorrel, and taking them under film, you can “raise” a good profit in the spring.