Lamb's Lettuce - Mâche
Delicate, nutty flavoured Lamb’s Lettuce is a favourite in French and Italian cuisine. Use it raw in salads, or steamed and served as a vegetable.
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Corn salad or Mache (Valerianella locusta) are small annual plants preferring a cooler climate. Their sweet & delicate flavour makes them a perfect addition in salads or served on their own with a tangy vinaigrette
How to grow mache in a garden
- Buy seeds from your local nursery or online.
- Choose a spot that receives plenty of sun and is well protected from strong winds. Prior to planting, improve your soil by digging in compost & Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed. Sow directly by sprinkling the seeds over the soil.
- Water in well.
- The seeds generally sprout within two weeks.
- You can leave them in clumps or thin them out if desired.
- As seedlings grow, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate to encourage good foliage production.
- Start harvesting after plants have produced four pairs of leaves. Continuous harvest at regular intervals encourages new growth.
How to grow Mache in a pot
- Choose 300 mm wide or larger pots of any shape. Fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
- Sow the seeds and cover them with a light layer of the potting mix.
- Position the pots in full sun.
- Water in well.
- Allow them to grow in patches or clumps.
- Feed every 3 weeks with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
- Start harvesting after plants have produced four pairs of leaves. Continuous harvest at regular intervals encourages new growth.
Growing tips
- Since Mache have very tender leaves, try leaving the plant alone until harvest time, as it does get bruised easily.
- Mache being annual tolerates some warmth, but will eventually die. If you let it seed, they will eventually sprout in autumn.
- Varieties –
- ‘Verte de Cambrai’ is common and has vigorous growth.
- Dutch Large – Larger growth than ‘Verte de Cambrai’ and is more upright and tastes slightly different than the other variety.
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Recommended products
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate
A complete plant food enriched with natural fish, seaweed, humates, molasses and more - boosted with NPK to improve plant and soil vitality.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
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