When to sow Winter purslane (claytonia) in the UK
Winter purslane (claytonia) is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Winter purslane (claytonia) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| South Coast and Channel | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| South East and Home Counties | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| East Anglia | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Wales and West Coast | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Northern England | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Northern Ireland | late July to early October | early October to early May |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late July to early October | early October to early May |
Growing notes
Sow from late summer to early October for succulent cut-and-come-again leaves from autumn until the plants flower in spring; it needs no winter protection in most of the UK. It self-seeds freely, so pull spent plants before the seed ripens if you do not want a permanent colony.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 10 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 20 cm
- Plants per m²
- 60
- Days to maturity
- 60 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.05 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 10 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 15 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 3 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- slugs
- grey mould
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for winter purslane (claytonia).