Purslane: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
When and how do you sow edible purslane outdoors?
Sow edible purslane, Portulaca oleracea, after the last frosts, once the soil has warmed well. This warm-season plant is different from winter purslane. Check that your seed is the fleshy-leaved vegetable rather than an ornamental portulaca with large flowers.
Choose a sunny site with well-drained soil. Remove weeds and carefully prepare a fine surface: the tiny seeds can easily disappear between large clods. Sow thinly in very shallow drills and cover with only a few millimetres of fine soil. There is no need to position each individual seed 30 cm from the next. For full-sized plants, thin later to roughly 10–15 cm between plants, adjusting the spacing to the cultivar and intended use.
Water gently so the seeds do not move, and keep the surface slightly moist until seedlings emerge. The drought tolerance of an established plant does not mean that a drying seedbed is harmless. Avoid standing water nevertheless. Remove competing weeds while the seedlings are small. You can make several small sowings during the warm season instead of relying on a single row to supply leaves throughout the growing period.
When and how do you transplant edible purslane?
When and how do you harvest purslane?
