Mesclun – Baby Lettuce Mix

Mesclun is a term used for a mix of baby lettuces, greens, and or herbs. Mesclun comes from the French, from the word ‘mescla’, meaning mixed. Typical mesclun mixes include several varieties inside one seed packet – giving the grower an easy way to introduce color, flavor, and texture into the salad bowl.

What’s In a Mesclun Mix

Mesclun mixes range considerably depending on what the seed manufacturer has intended. Some varieties often seen: arugula, spicy cress, Russian kale, endive (curly and flat varieties), mustard greens, beet greens, spinach, mache, various leaf lettuces, radicchio, chervil, mizuna, and dandelion greens.

You can find meslun mixes that are spicy using spicy and tangy flavored greens, more sweet using mild greens, or colorful with a mix of different colored greens. Heartier greens such as mustard and kale are tender and sweet when harvested along with the rest of the greens when they are young.

Growing Meslun Salad Mix

No matter what the lettuce or greens mix, planting is about the same for all mesclun mixes. Sow in full sun directly in the grown, spreading out the seeds to encourage growth. Mesclun can be started at any time, but if planted in very hot weather, sow the seeds in a protected area away from the hot, direct sunlight as the seedlings emerge. Thin the seedlings when they reach about 2 inches high – but keep the thinnings as they make great additions to any salad. With full sun and proper watering, harvest is quick in about 30 days.

When the seeds are planted every 2 or 3 weeks apart, you’ll have a continuous harvest of baby greens throughout the growing season. Mesclun mixes make a great vegetable to grow in containers. No real work is need, and as long as the greens get lots of sun, harvest time is the same.