Stephen Albert
Corn salad is also known as lamb’s lettuce and mache. Corn salad is an easy-to-grow green with a mild, nutty flavor and gentle texture. It can be lightly cooked like spinach or eaten raw with an oil vinaigrette.
Corn salad is a low-growing, small-leaved, hardy annual. It rarely grows more than 4 inches (10cm) high with a similar spread. It is an ideal crop for intercropping or under-cropping.
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When to planting corn salad
For a late spring/ early summer harvest, sow corn salad directly in the garden in late winter or early spring; sow seeds under the cover of a plastic tunnel or frost blanket if you expect a temperature as low as 28°F (12°C).
For summer use, sow corn salad in early to mid-spring. For autumn use, sow early to mid-summer, but be aware plants may bolt in hot weather.
Corn salad seed sowing
Sow seeds in narrow or broad drills about 4 inches (10cm) apart or broadcast the seeds. Thinning is usually not necessary. Moisten the drills or cove the beds with moist fleece until seeds germinate.
Corn salad is a good choice to intercrop between onions or shallots.
Corn salad seed sowing dates
(These dates are for the Northern Hemisphere)
| Average date of the last frost | Planting dates |
| Jan. 30 | Jan. 1-Feb. 15 |
| Feb. 8 | Jan. 1-Feb. 15 |
| Feb. 18 | Jan. 1-Mar. 15 |
| Feb. 28 | Jan. 1-Mar. 15 |
| Mar. 10 | Jan. 1-Mar. 15 |
| Mar. 20 | Jan. 1-Mar. 15 |
| Mar. 30 | Jan. 1-Mar. 15 |
| Apr. 10 | Feb. 1-Apr. 1 |
| Apr. 20 | Feb. 14-Apr. 15 |
| Apr. 30 | Mar. 1-May 1 |
| May 10 | Apr. 1-June 1 |
| May 20 | Apr. 15-June 1 |
| May 30 | May 1-June 15 |
| June 10 | May 15-June 15 |
Corn salad planting details
- Sowing depth: ¼ inch (6mm) or less
- Space between plant after thinning: 4-6 inches (10-15cm)
- Days to sprout: 7
- Days to harvest: 84 days for mature plants; small plants can be harvested at an edible size
- Storage period: 4 weeks
- Seeds per 100-row feet: ½ ounce (14 grams)
- Yield per 100-row feet: 45 pounds (20kg)
- Types: Large-leaved type has somewhat floppy leaves and habit; often called ‘English’ of ‘Dutch” type. ‘Vert’/’Green’ type is squatter and smaller than large-leaved types; often used for late sowings.
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