Salad burnet
Sanguisorba minor
Also known as: Small burnet, Garden burnet, Pimpinelle (German), Pimpinella
Quick facts
- Category
- herbs soft
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Days to harvest
- 60 to 90 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- -15–25°C
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- EC (hydroponic)
- 1 to 1.6 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 14 to 22 mol/m²/day
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 4 to 8 (winter low around -34°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- very hardy (survives deep cold)
- Season
- cool (spring and fall crops)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor year-round (in zone)
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
- heated greenhouse
- indoor (heated home)
- indoor hydroponics under grow lights
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Salad burnet works in:
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- wicking bed
- soil bed
- drip / Dutch buckets
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (salad burnet works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Perlite (Expanded volcanic glass) | neutral / inert | very low | low |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| vegetative | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.4 |
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
An easy, low-maintenance perennial herb for cool conditions. EC 1.0-1.5 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 10–25°C (cool-season; bolts and declines in sustained heat). Moderate light (DLI 12-18 mol/m2/day). Any hydroponic system works. The plant is small (20–40 cm) and compact. Harvest young leaves for the cucumber-like flavor; add to salads, float on cold drinks (replacing or complementing cucumber), or use as a garnish. The evergreen habit means winter harvesting is possible, a valuable trait when most salad herbs are dormant. Propagation by seed or division of established clumps. Remove flower stems to promote continued leaf production. The plant self-seeds in outdoor settings. Salad burnet is a niche herb with limited commercial demand but genuine culinary utility: the cucumber flavor adds a fresh note to salads without the water content of actual cucumber.
Plan a setup with Salad burnet
Verified against: rhs-uk, herb-society-of-america, u-of-minnesota-extension. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.