Mesclun French Salad Mixed
Have you noticed how the salad leaves in those expensive mixes always seem to go limp before you get to the end of the pack? The answer to this problem is to grow your own with the help of Yates Seed of the Month for July 2010, Mesclun French Salad Mixed.
Mesclun mix contains all the leafy ingredients for a flavour-filled salad. It combines the tangy leaves of endive, the slight bitterness of radicchio (red-leafed chicory), the soft tenderness of corn salad (sometimes known as lamb’s lettuce), the peppery taste of rocket, and the colour and texture of red and green lettuce.
All of these varieties are at their best if they’re grown quickly and harvested just as they’re required. The trick is to sow a few seeds every couple of weeks and always have fresh plants coming along.
In many parts the soil is too cold to sow seeds of Mesclun French Salad Mixed in the depth of winter but seeds will germinate readily in a pot filled with Yates Premium Potting Mix. Don’t bury the seeds too deeply. They need just a light covering but they must be kept moist throughout the germination period. Because the seeds are so fine, it’s best to water either with a mist spray or by immersing the base of the pot in a container of water and letting it seep up to the top. If the resulting seedlings are crowded, thin them out by removing excess plants. These can be discarded or moved to another pot or garden bed.
Keep the plants well watered and feed them at least once a week with half strength Thrive Soluble Plant Food (in other words, feed weakly, weekly!). This way they’ll grow as quickly as possible and you’ll end up with a pot full of soft, tender, flavourful leaves.
Comments (8)
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Cathy
Yates site member
14:16, 07 July 2010
Sounds great, I think I’ll give this one a try and I like the idea to plant every couple of weeks to always have fresh produce.
diana
Yates site member
21:06, 08 July 2010
I really like this idea too, I enjoy side salads with warm hearty meals such pasta and some of my richer shank recipes, it lightens and adds a bit of zip to heavier meals.
Bev
Yates site member
14:33, 07 July 2010
I love mesclun but I want to sow it into my vegie patch directly. Isn’t the rain going to wash the seeds away or is there a magic trick to stop this happening :) pleasee
Des
Yates site member
15:29, 07 July 2010
will get them next time I am at a Nursery. I really like my salads after the winter’s heavier meals – will also be growing other salad vegies as well to compliment the greens
Denise
Yates site member
19:48, 08 July 2010
I have got just the right container for this colourfull variety of salad mix too, so will looking out for the packs in my local store.
Peter
Yates site member
09:21, 09 July 2010
This sounds great as there are only the 2 of us here now and often waste a large lettuce
Joy
Yates site member
20:45, 10 July 2010
I have bought this lettuce from the supermarket in the packets and I want to be able to grow it myself. Will buy a packet of seeds and have a go.
mikel
Yates site member
09:49, 12 July 2010
I will be trying the salad mix in my hot house and I will be starting the seed in my home made seed raiser.
Thomas
Yates site member
16:12, 14 July 2010
Fresh is best , I do this , within reason I cannot plant too many as my two chooks, Maude & Marion , get the surplus.
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