How to Plant and Grow Mesclun in Your Garden

Mesclun has become a popular salad green mix not only for shoppers at grocery stores but also for home gardeners. Two things that make Mesclun attractive to grow. Instead of planting just one or two kinds of salad greens, you get a whole range with different flavors, textures, and even colors. And because the greens are harvested at the baby leaf stage, you don’t need to wait long to harvest them. Typically, you can start harvesting Mescluns one month after sowing the seeds.

How to Plant Mesclun

Even though mesclun is a mix of different types of greens, they are all planted similarly at the same time. For a very early spring harvest, transplants are recommended to begin harvesting earlier in the season. As the weather warms. direct seed it. Succession plantings (sowing seeds weekly) will keep the supply plentiful.

Most greens grow best during cooler temperatures of spring and fall. They bolt or become bitter as the temperatures rise in summer. Because the greens are harvested while still quite small, a 2-foot by 2-foot garden block or container should provide enough greens for several salads over a week.

Mesclun Plant Care

Light

During cool weather, mesclun greens will grow the fastest with full sun for 6 to 8 hours per day. 3 to 4 hours of sun is still acceptable, especially in warmer weather, the plants continue to do well in partial sun.

Soil

Mesclun prefers rich, moist, loamy, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5, which is the ideal pH for many vegetables.

Water

For a tender texture, mesclun greens need plenty of water. Most of the greens are shallow-rooted and require daily watering. The soil should remain moist but not soggy. Be sure container-grown mesclun has proper drainage.

Mesclun is a favorite for hydroponic gardening.

Temperature and Humidity

The greens will produce the best-tasting and most tender leaves when temperatures are cool in the spring and late fall (or in the winter if you are in Zone 9 or above), between 45 and 75°F.

Fertilizer

Nitrogen is important for mesclun to produce high-quality, dark green leaves Apply an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer that is high in nitrogen or use a water-soluble fertilizer for edible plants, such as diluted fish emulsion, when watering. Reapply a high-nitrogen liquid fertilizer after each cutting.

To amend the soil before planting, the general recommendation is to add 3.5 ounces of nitrogen per 100 square feet or 2.2 pounds per 1,000 square but how much your soil needs may vary.2 Testing the soil every three years is the only way to know whether the soil is lacking nutrients and how much you should be adding.

Types of Mesclun

Since mesclun is a mix of various tender greens, customize your mix to suit your tastes. A traditional mix includes arugula, lettuce, chervil, and endive. There are pre-mixed mesclun seed packets or select your favorite greens for planting.

• Arugula (Eruca vesicaria): A member of the mustard family with a tart and peppery flavor.
• Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea): When picked as a tender, young leaf, mustard adds a strong peppery flavor. If you let it mature, it doubles as a cooked green.
• Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium): An herb that resembles parsley with lacy leaves with a slight anise flavor.
• Endive (Cichorium endivia): Endive adds a peppery/bitter flavor and grows well with leaf lettuce in a container garden.
• Sorrel (Rumex acestosa): If you like a tart, lemony flavor, sorrel is a perfect addition to a mesclun mix.
• Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa): Choose red or green looseleaf lettuce that forms a bunch instead of a head. Looseleaf lettuce can regrow from a cut stem without losing quality in flavor or texture.
• Spinach (Spinacia oleracea): Spinach has a slightly mineral taste but is very sweet if harvested while leaves are small.
• Kale (Brassica oleracea): Select a variety like ‘Hanover Salad’ that is best for eating raw and harvest the leaves while very small.

Harvesting Mesclun

Frequent harvesting is the key to tender, flavorful mesclun. When the greens are about 4 to 6 inches long, snip them off with scissors, about 1 inch above the soil. If you have a mixed planting of mesclun greens, clear-cut an entire area at a time.

Leaving the plant with some green growth is called the “cut-and-come-again method”. Cutting at this level will not damage the crown of the plants. Continue watering the cut areas and add a light application of fertilizer for another harvest in 3 to 4 weeks.

To use, rinse the freshly cut leaves in cool water to remove dust or dirt and drain well. Discard any leaves damaged by insects or weeds that may have slipped into the garden. Use the mesclun immediately, or wrap the leaves in a damp towel, place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to 4 or 5 days.

How to Grow Mesclun in Pots

Often called “salad bowl gardening,” mesclun grows in almost any type of container that is around 18 inches long and 6 to 12 inches deep as long as it has good drainage.

Use a good potting mix and moisten it thoroughly before planting seeds. Sow seeds densely about one-half inch apart. Scatter them on the moist potting mix and then sprinkle with one-fourth inch of potting soil. Water daily using a gentle sprinkle. Place the container where it will receive at least five hours of full sun per day. Apply a half-strength soluble fertilizer when the plants are 4 to 6 inches tall and then every two weeks.

When ready to harvest, cut just what you need with a pair of scissors, leaving a one-inch crown to continue growing. Stagger planting the next containers several weeks apart so you have one ready to harvest when the first container is no longer producing.

Pruning

As annual vegetable plants, mesclun does not require pruning other than when harvesting.

Propagating Mesclun

Mesclun greens should be started from seed. It is possible to save lettuce seeds if you find a variety you love.

How to Grow Mesclun from Seed

• Use fertile, loamy soil or potting mix.
• Sow seeds about one-fourth inch deep in the soil and cover lightly. If growing in the garden, space rows about 12 inches apart.
• If growing indoors for seedlings or as a container garden, sow mesclun seeds about six weeks before the last spring frost or before the first winter freeze.
• The seeds will germinate in about two weeks.
• Thin over-crowded seedlings to leave room for larger varieties to grow.
• Fertilize with a half-strength liquid starter solution after the first true leaf appears. When two true leaves are present, fertilize with high nitrogen liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
• When the indoor-started seedlings have four or five true leaves, reduce watering and place the plants outside where they will receive wind protection and a couple of hours of sunlight to harden them off. Gradually expose them to more sunlight and keep them well watered.
• Plant in the garden after the chance of frost has passed in the spring or when the daytime temperature has dropped to around 65 degrees in the fall.
• When the plants reach 3 to 6 inches tall, selectively harvest the leaves for salad.

Potting and Repotting

If grown in a container, mesclun does not require repotting because it does not overwinter or continue producing after about two months of growth. Plant in a large pot so the plants do not need to be disturbed during the growing season.

Overwintering

Mesclun does not overwinter. However, in the right conditions, you can grow mesclun indoors throughout the year.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Mesclun is grown and harvested so quickly that it doesn’t have serious pest or disease problems. However, you might notice aphids, slugs, and snails, as well as wildlife nibbling on the leaves. Diseases include powdery mildew and downy mildew.