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Growing mesclun mix in garden beds and containers is a quick and easy way to enjoy a non-stop crop of gourmet salad greens. Mesclun is a blend of greens that includes lettuce, arugula, kale, and spinach which are picked when still immature. Mesclun greens make delicious and beautiful salads with a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. In this article you’ll learn how to plant, grow, and harvest mesclun mix as well as discover 10 awesome types of mesclun greens.
What is mesclun mix?
You may have spotted mesclun salads on menus in upscale restaurants or in gourmet salad packs at the grocery store. Or maybe the vendors at your local farmers’ market sell bags of mesclun. But what is it? Mesclun mix is blend of gourmet baby greens with origins in France where tender wild greens were gathered for salads. A mesclun blend typically includes crops like lettuce, spinach, tatsoi, mustards, and curly endive which are harvested immature and enjoyed as baby leaves.
I love growing mesclun mix in my garden because it’s delicious and very quick to grow with the first harvests beginning just 3-4 weeks after seeding. Most mesclun blends contain a wide range of greens with varied leaf flavors, colors, shapes, and textures.
The best site for growing mesclun mix
As with most types of vegetables, mesclun mix grows best in a garden bed or container that receives full sun. If you have more shade than sun, you can still have success with leafy greens, but try to give the plants at least 3 to 4 hours of light each day. The best soil is fertile, loose, and well-draining and I amend the garden with an inch of compost before planting to boost fertility. You can also apply an organic granular vegetable fertilizer to ensure a steady supply of essential nutrients.
When to plant mesclun mix
Most salad greens are cool season vegetables and grow best from early spring through early summer and again from early to late autumn. In mild climates you can plant and harvest throughout autumn and winter. Soil temperatures in the 60 to 68 degrees F (16 to 20 degrees C) range are ideal and you can direct seed beginning 3-4 weeks before the last frost date in spring.
How to plant mesclun mix
Mesclun mix may look fancy in a salad bowl, but it’s actually very easy to grow and there are two main ways to plant it. The first is to buy a pre-blended packet of mesclun mix seeds. This produces a colorful display in the garden and seed companies choose an assortment of greens that mature in the same timeframe. The second method is to grow bands of individual leafy greens and combine them in the bowl when you harvest.
Direct seeding is the best way to plant most types of mesclun greens. Corn salad, spinach, arugula, and tatsoi, for example, don’t transplant well so starting seeds indoors under grow lights and transplanting seedlings is not recommended.
When you’re ready to plant, prepare the garden bed by raking the soil loose. As noted above, I add an inch of compost to boost soil fertility and increase its moisture retention. Whether I’m planting individual greens or a pre-blended mesclun mix, I plant the seeds in a 2-4 foot band. Ideal seed spacing is a 1/2 inch apart. As for soil depth, I cover the seeds with a scant 1/8 to 1/4 inch of soil. After planting, gently firm the soil surface to ensure full soil-seed contact. In larger areas you may wish to broadcast the seeds, aiming to sprinkle them evenly over the soil surface.
Successive sowings every few weeks ensures a steady supply of gourmet greens. Read seed packet variety info to learn the specific timing information, but I sow seeds for most types of mesclun greens from early spring through early summer and again from late summer until 2-3 weeks before the first fall frost date.
Can you grow mesclun mix in a container?
Yes! You don’t need a garden to grow mesclun. Pots, containers, fabric planters, window boxes, and other types of planters are well suited to growing gourmet green mixes. They don’t need to be very deep, even a 4 to 6 inch deep tray is fine for shallow-rooted salad greens. Just be sure to select containers with drainage holes so excess rain and irrigation water can drain away. Fill your chosen pots or planters with a high quality potting mix.
Growing mesclun greens
Once the seeds are planted, there’s not much for the gardener to do. Keep the soil lightly moist as drought-stressed salad greens are more prone to bitterness and bolting. Because mesclun is picked when the leaves are immature, there’s no need to thin if you spaced the seeds properly.
Harvesting mesclun mix
I start to harvest individual leaves when they’re 2 inches long, with most picked between 2-5 inches in length. Harvest frequently to encourage new leaf production. I pinch the leaves from the plants with my fingers, but you can also use garden snips or scissors to harvest a bunch in a hurry. Expect a band of mesclun greens to produce for about 6 weeks. As noted above, sowing new seeds every few weeks is the best way to enjoy a non-stop harvest.
Storage tips for mesclun mix
Ideally it’s best to harvest baby salad greens when you are ready to make your salad. That’s not always possible, however, so how should you store mesclun greens? I keep just-picked leaves in a plastic or glass storage container lined with a sheet of paper towel. The towel absorbs moisture and the container protects the tender leaves from bruising and damage which would shorten their storage life. Keep the container in the refrigerator and plan on eating the greens within a few days.
Troubleshooting
I find that fast-growing mesclun mix is fairly trouble-free, but common pests include small creatures like aphids, slugs, and snails, as well as larger ones like deer and rabbits. Keep on eye on plants, taking a closer look if you spot holes in the leaves. I hand pick any slugs and snails I find but growing greens in lots of light helps reduce the occurrence of these shade-loving land mollusks. For deer or rabbits, use a barrier like chicken wire, insect netting, or lightweight trow cover.
10 Types of greens found in mesclun mix
1) Lettuces
Tender, mild-flavored lettuces often form the backbone of a mesclun mix. There are many types (romaine, oakleaf, butterhead, lollo) to choose from and varieties in shades of lime green, dark green, red, bronze, and burgundy. Some even have streaks or speckles adding another layer of interest to salads.
Recommended varieties: Black-Seeded Simpson, Royal Oak Leaf, Red Tango, and Lolla Rossa.
2) Mustards
Colorful and peppery mustard greens add bite to mesclun green mixes. There are plenty of varieties to grow with varied leaf colors and textures including frilly, serrated, and smooth. Red mustards or those with frill edges are especially lovely in a mixed salad.
Recommended varieties: Green Wave, Golden Frills, Ruby Streaks, and Red Giant
3) Arugula
Arugula is an easy-to-grow gourmet green that is also very quick to go from seed to harvest. This is the one to grow if you’re in a hurry for homegrown salads! Expect to start picking baby leaves 30 days from sowing the seeds. There are two main types of arugula: standard and wild. Standard arugula varieties are faster to grow and more commonly used in mesclun mix.
Recommended varieties: Standard (often just called arugula), Astro, Runaway, and Sylvetta
4) Mizuna
Mizuna has mild mustard flavored leaves that are often so deeply serrated, they resemble feathers. The plants are fast growing and add loft and texture to mesclun blends. Depending on the variety mizuna can have light green leaves, green leaves streaked in burgundy-purple, or even deep red leaves.
Recommended varieties: purple mizuna, green mizuna, Miz America, Red Kingdom
5) Tatsoi
This is a cold-hardy green with cupped, spoon-shaped leaves that look a lot like spinach. Expect a mild flavored green with a nice crunch. The plants of tatsoi form attractive low rosettes in the garden with the baby leaves ready to pick just 30 days from seeding.
Recommended varieties: There aren’t many varieties. It’s typically sold as ‘tatsoi’.
6) Corn salad
Also called mache or lamb’s lettuce, mache is an incredibly cold hardy green that forms small rosettes in the garden. If you let the plants go to seed they’ll spread throughout your beds, a trait I don’t mind as I just pick and eat them. They have a mild nutty flavor and very tender, almost succulent, leaves.
Recommend varieties: Vit is the standard variety
7) Spinach
Delicious and nutritious, baby spinach leaves are an essential part of mesclun greens. Young leaves are ready to harvest 25 to 30 days from sowing seeds and, depending on the variety, may be smooth to crinkly.
Recommended varieties: Space, Seaside, Auroch, Bloomsdale, Acadia
8) Swiss chard
Young Swiss chard leaves are colorful and delicious. Swiss chard is a bit slower to grow, so if you’re planting individual bands of seeds, sow chard seeds outdoors 2 weeks before faster growing arugula or mustard greens.
Recommended varieties: Bright Lights, Peppermint,
9) Curly Endive
Also called frisée or chicory, curly endive plants form bright green rosettes of super frilly leaves. The leaves add texture and loft to salads and unlike mild-flavored lettuce and chard, have a bright, bitter flavor.
Recommended varieties: Benefine, Sempre Bianca, Green Curled
10) Kale
Mature kale leaves are delicious, but the baby greens are a garden treat and fun to grow. Expect a wide range of leaf colors, shapes, and edges from the many kale varieties available from seed companies.
Recommended varieties: Red Russian kale, Toscano, Wild Garden Frills, Bear Necessities, Kalebration mix
Other greens which may be included in mesclun blends are chervil, sorrel, and Toyko bekana. Even peppery nasturtium leaves and flowers can be tossed into homegrown baby green salads.
For more information on growing gourmet salads, but sure to read these articles:
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