Mache Seeds (Corn Salad)

Corn Salad - Dutch Seeds (Valerianella locusta)

Overview:

• Also known as Mache, Lamb's Lettuce, or Field Lettuce.
• Annual, cool-season salad green with a delicate, nutty flavor.
• Can be used as a lettuce substitute in salads, stews, soups, and as a cooked leaf vegetable.
• Frost-tolerant, making it ideal for cold climates.

Key Features:

• Tender, green leaves.
• Nutty flavor.
• Grows to 30cm in height.
• Suitable for both direct sowing and transplanting.
• Can be harvested as a whole plant or as a "cut and come again" crop.

Growing Conditions:

• Climate: Cool season crop.
• Sunlight: Full sun or part shade (minimum 3 hours of sun).
• Soil: Well-drained, enriched with organic matter.
• Container Growing: Suitable for containers (minimum 20 liters).
• Sowing Depth: 6mm.
• Sowing Spacing: 20cm apart, rows 30-45cm apart.
• Germination Time: 7-21 days at 10-20°C.
• Watering: Water when soil is dry 5cm below the surface, avoid wetting leaves.
• Fertilizing: High-nitrogen fertilizer or leafy green/herb fertilizer.
• Harvest: Approximately 45 days after sowing.

Planting Instructions:

• Sowing Time: Cool season (refer to climate-specific table).
• Direct Sowing: Sow seeds 6mm deep, spaced 20cm apart, rows 30-45cm apart.
• Transplanting: Sow seeds in trays, transplant seedlings with first true leaves, space 20cm apart, rows 30-45cm apart.
• Scatter Sowing: Roughen soil, scatter seeds, cover lightly.
• Temperature: Avoid sowing in very hot weather to prevent bolting.
• Thinning: Thin seedlings to 20cm spacing when large enough to handle.

Harvesting:

• Harvest when leaves are large enough.
• Cut the whole plant at ground level or harvest outer leaves for "cut and come again" growth.
• Store in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Additional Notes:

• Protect young seedlings from pests, pets, and weather.
• Can be grown as an annual.
  
• Soil preparation with compost and aged manure is highly recommended.