Winter Purslane – Irish Seed
Price range: €2.80 through €35.00
Winter Purslane (Claytonia perfoliata) is an easy to grow hardy salad crop. Also known as Miner’s Lettuce, its wild relative if found all along the North American Pacific coast. The leaves are succulent and mild in flavour. Eat raw in salads or used like spinach for cooking.
Average 2000 seeds (1g) per packet.
| Botanical Name | Claytonia perfoliata |
|---|---|
| Seeds per Packet | Approx. 2000 |
| Sow Depth | < 5mm or on the surface |
| Germination Requirements | Needs temperatures <12°C to germinate well |
| Sun Requirements | Shade tolerant |
| Spacing | In rows 20cm apart. Thinning plants to 5-10cm apart within rows |
| Harvest Method | Pick outer leaves or whole plants throughout winter |
| Life Cycle | Annual, Winter Hardy |
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- When growing winter purslane in Ireland, sow from September for an Autumn and Winter harvest
- Early sowings are worthwhile but germination is less reliable in warmer soil
- The most important thing to know when sowing winter purslane is that it requires cool soil temperatures of less than 12°C to germinate well – usually reached in September
- Sow seeds in very shallow drills spaced 20cm apart to allow hoeing between the rows
- As seeds are so plentiful and a bit erratic for germination aim to sow a seed every 1cm or so
- Thin out to 5-10cm spacing between plants as the rows establish
- Winter purslane needs little attention once established
- How between rows and do a little hand weeding as needed
- Leaves can be harvested from the outside once plants are established or the whole plant can be cut
- If you don’t want the plants to self seed you should remove them when they start flowering in the spring
- Alternatively you can let them self seed and harvest leaves from volunteer plants that come up
- I wouldn’t worry about them becoming a weed problem in a small garden as they are shallow rooted and easy to hoe out of following crops
If you want to save the seed from winter purslane, cut whole plants when you notice the first ripe black seeds beginning to fall. Hang over, or lay on, a tarp in a dry airy place and seed will finish ripening and shed over a number of weeks.
