How to Grow Mache (Corn Salad) From Seed

Mache is a cold-season green, so timing is the opposite of most salads. Sow from late summer through early fall, once the soil has cooled below the mid-60s, for fall and winter harvests, and again in very early spring. Skip warm-weather sowings entirely: above about 70F the seed simply goes dormant. Because it is so cold-hardy, a fall sowing often gives you fresh salad right through winter.

Sow mache right where it will grow, since the small rosettes transplant poorly. Plant the tiny seeds about a quarter inch deep in cool, rich soil, an inch or so apart in rows, and keep them consistently moist. Mache is naturally slow to sprout, taking 10 to 14 days, and germinates best in cool soil around 50 to 60F. Thin seedlings to about 3 inches apart, though mache is forgiving of close spacing.

Mache is about as low-maintenance as a green gets. Keep the seedbed evenly moist until plants are established, then it largely looks after itself in cool weather. It shrugs off frost: once established under a little mulch or a row cover, it survives into the low teens or single digits Fahrenheit and keeps producing. Climate note: in cold regions like the Upper Midwest and Northeast it truly earns its keep as a winter green under cover, while in the mild West and South it grows through the open winter garden with ease. Warm spring weather is its only real enemy, sending it quickly to flower.

Mache is a tiny, ground-hugging green that tucks in around larger crops and along bed edges. These four make especially good companions, and you can add any of them in one click:

Harvest mache once the rosettes are a couple of inches across, usually 50 or more days from sowing. Cut whole rosettes at the base, or snip individual outer leaves and let the plant keep growing. The leaves are at their tenderest and sweetest before warm spring weather arrives, so pick steadily through the cool months and clear the bed before it flowers.

Mache is best raw and simple, so its mild, nutty, buttery leaves can shine. Dress it lightly with a walnut or hazelnut oil vinaigrette, or build a classic winter salad with beets, apples, toasted nuts, and a soft cheese. The delicate rosettes wilt quickly once dressed, so add the dressing just before serving. It is the fresh, homegrown salad that carries a garden through the coldest months.

• Poor germination: almost always warm soil. Wait until it cools below the mid-60s, then keep the bed moist.
• Slow to appear: mache is naturally slow at 10 to 14 days, so be patient and do not resow too soon.
• Bolting: warm spring weather sends it to flower fast. Harvest through the cool season and clear the bed before heat.
• Rot in wet winters: sow in well-drained soil or a raised bed and avoid overcrowding for airflow.