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Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
  • Roselle
Roselle

Hibiscus sabdariffa
$4.50
Description

Beautiful large hibiscus shrub with showy flowers and edible red calyxes and leaves, have a delicious sour taste and deep red color. Roselle goes by many names: Florida cranberry, sorrel, Jamaican sorrel, Agua de Jamaica, red zinger, and our kids call it the sour skittles plant!

Harvest the red calyxes anytime they are plump and red. They can be use fresh, dried or frozen make faux cranberry sauce, tea (red zinger), jelly, sauce, vinegars, candies, shrubs, fire ciders and so much more! Calyxes also make an excellent natural pigment.

A must have Florida garden plant. 
Product details
  • About 25 seeds 
  • 150-200 days
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at GROW HUB in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Sow seeds ½" deep and space plants 5' apart or more. Roselle needs little care once established, but will thrive in full sun with good soil fertility.

Roselle is day-length sensitive, so the plants will grow lush and leafy throughout the spring and summer but usually won't start flowering and producing calyxes until late summer or early fall.

Roselle is susceptible to frost, and an early freeze can greatly reduce or even end the crop. It's also susceptible to root-knot nematodes, so check the roots when pulling plants at the end of the season. If you find signs of nematodes, consider following the crop with a cover crop that can help suppress nematode populations.
How to save seeds

Roselle seed is fairly easy to save, though getting consistently good, viable seed takes a little patience.

For the best seed, let the pods mature as long as possible on the plant without letting them rot. Some growers peel back the red calyx to expose the green seed pod underneath, then watch it as it dries and begins to split. The longer the seed can mature on the plant, the better.

Sometimes the weather gets to the pods first, or leaving them on the plant isn't practical. You can also save seed when harvesting the ripest, fullest pods for eating. Remove the fleshy red calyx and bring the green seed pods indoors to finish drying. Let them dry until the pods begin to split and the seeds turn brown.

Once dry, wear gloves—the pods can be itchy and surprisingly sharp. Pull open the pods and remove the seeds. You may get a mix of good and poorly developed seed when harvesting this way, but there should still be plenty of viable seed for next season.

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