Last edited by shiny on November 09, 2026. View history
How to sow purslane: Direct seed cuttings or seeds outdoors on surface of soil after last frost
Sun requirement for purslane: Plant in Full Sun
Purslane is a fast-growing succulent herb that is native to Asia but has since naturalized throughout the world. The plant has red to purple stems that radiate from a central taproot, fleshy green leaves, and yellow flowers. The stems are somewhat upright, but spread to create a mat of foliage. Leaves and stems have a sweet, acid-like flavor similar to spinach and are high in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins A, C, and B, iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Harvest plants before they flower and add to salads, sandwiches, sauté, or make into pesto. Purslane can become VERY invasive because it spreads through stem pieces and a single plant can produce 240,000 seeds that are viable for 5-40 years. Container growing is strongly recommended to limit the spread of stem cuttings. Be sure to harvest plants before they flower and set seed.
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For purslane, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 7°C and a shortest growing cycle of 21 days at its best temperature, about 378 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your purslane will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
by Skud,
Like I said in my last post, everything has been late and disorganised this spring. However, I'm trying to get some stuff planted juuuusssssttttt under the wire for December, and hopefully they'll have time to grow before things cool down in the new year. Last year I was pretty amazed…
butternut squash
sunflowers
nasturtia
arugula
purslane
nettles
by oakandsage,
Yay, seeds arrived. Gonna go on a planting binge tomorrow. Especially since tomorrow is tomato day!
Got: Golden purslane Watercress Yard long bean Blackeye pea Charentais melon Cantaloupe (M…
watercress
beans
peas
melons
cantaloupes
tomatoes
cauliflowers
There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 21 to 120 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Portulaca oleracea L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Caryophyllidae Caryophyllales Portulacaceae |
|---|---|
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect |
| Optimal soil depth | shallow (20-50 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Resources outside Growstuff.
Purslane
Photos
CloCkWeRX harvested 3 .