Mâche
Valerianella locusta
Caprifoliaceae · honeysuckle family
- Matures
- 80 days
- Harvest
- Once · Annual
- Sun
- 4–8 hrs
- Spacing
- 2–4 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | |
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
<2 hrsNot suited
2–4 hrsMarginal
4–6 hrsWell-suited
6–8 hrsWell-suited
8+ hrsMarginal
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
6–10"Well-suited
10–15"Well-suited
15–18"Well-suited
18–24"Well-suited
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 2–4 in
- Between rows
- 6–12 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Low mound
- Mature height
- 2–5 in
Low and self-supporting — no staking needed.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Direct-sow
- Start indoors
- 6 weeks ahead
Direct-sowWell-suited
TransplantWell-suited
Sown straight into the bed it will grow in.
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 50–60°F
- Sow depth
- 0.25 in
- Time to emerge
- 7–14 days
Germinates between 40–68°F; happiest around 50–60°F.
30°F110°F
IdealWorkable
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
USU: Lamb’s lettuce is fast growing and not susceptible to many production problems. Rotating locations from year to year helps control most diseases.
Pests5
Aphids
- What it is
- Aphids have soft pear-shaped bodies with long legs and antennae and may be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on the species and the plants they feed on. A few species appear waxy or woolly due to the secretion of a waxy white or gray substance over their body surface.
- What you'll see
- Low to moderate numbers of leaf-feeding aphids aren't usually damaging in gardens or on trees. However, large populations can turn leaves yellow and stunt shoots; aphids can also produce large quantities of a sticky exudate known as honeydew, which often turns black with the growth of a sooty mold fungus.
- What to do
- Before planting vegetables, check surrounding areas for sources of aphids and remove these sources. On the other hand, these aphid-infested weeds can sometimes provide an early source of aphid natural enemies.
Cabbage loopers
- What you'll see
- Loopers are light to dark green. Adults are gray or brown moths. Loopers chew holes in leaves. Larvae and eggs can be found on the underside of leaves.
- What to do
- Control worms and loopers with appropriate insecticides or biological measures.
Flea Beetles
- What it is
- Their small size, enlarged back legs, characteristic shot-hole damage, and habit of jumping when disturbed make flea beetles easy to identify. There are numerous flea beetle species.
- What you'll see
- Adults feed mostly on leaves, leaving tiny pits or small holes at their feeding sites. Flea beetles feeding together can cover leaves with bleached, pitted areas or ragged holes.
- What to do
- Remove debris in the fall to remove any overwintering beetles. Reflective mulches applied very soon after planting and before plants become infected can be helpful.
Leaf miners
- What you'll see
- Small white maggots burrow and feed inside the leaves, leaving a lacy trail.
- What to do
- Control flies with appropriate insecticides or biological measures. Use floating row covers to exclude adults that might lay eggs on plants.
Slugs
- What you'll see
- Soft-bodied or shelled mollusks that chew holes in leaves.
- What to do
- Control with appropriate pesticides or traps. Avoid moist conditions that favor these pests.
Diseases2
Alternaria Leaf Spot
- What you'll see
- Damping off of seedlings. Leaf spots on leaves or heads are a more common symptom. Spots form concentric circles which have a black sooty color.
- What to do
- Apply appropriate chemicals. Avoid overhead irrigation. Practice good sanitation. Rotate crops.
Damping-off
- What you'll see
- Seedlings, shortly after emergence, become infected. Lower stems collapse, causing the plants to fall over and die. Damping-off is caused by soil-borne fungi, including Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium species.
- What to do
- Practice good hygiene in work areas. Disinfect area with bleach, do not reuse plastic pots, use new potting mix, and avoid using garden soils. Water carefully as wet soil encourages pathogen development. Consider using fungicidetreated seed.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara Countybacks plantingWindow, inRowSpacing, growthHabit · UC MG Santa Clara Mâche page: 'Direct seed or transplant 2 to 4 inches apart from August to October' (Bay Area window Aug-Oct = yes; spacing 2-4 in). 'Mâche will bolt (go to seed) in early spring when the weather warms' — the basis for May-Jul = no. Santa Clara is the South Bay, so the foggy/sunny split is microclimate judgment: foggy blocks stay mild enough to hold the fall window later (Nov yes) and reopen a Feb-Mar spring sowing before bolt; sunny blocks warm sooner, so Nov drops to maybe. Growth habit: 'Mache only grows 2 to 5 inches tall, so make sure it isn't overtaken by larger plants' - a tiny basal rosette, classified low-mound at 2-5 in.
- UC Master Gardeners, Sonoma Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight · UC MG Sonoma Mâche (Corn Salad) page: 'Plant in early spring to harvest before weather warms or plant in late summer to harvest in fall and into early winter' (the Feb-Mar spring and Aug-Oct fall windows; overwinters in mild foggy blocks). 'Plant in sun or part shade' (part-shade tolerant: 4-6 and 6-8 hrs = yes, 2-4 = maybe, under-2 = no; 8+ = maybe since it bolts in bright heat). 'Like many lettuces, mâche is a cool-season crop that tolerates Sonoma County's winter temperatures.'
- UC Master Gardeners, Sonoma County (Planting Summary)backs daysToMaturity, inRowSpacing, lifecycle, harvestStyle, rowSpacing, startMethod · Vegetable Planting Summary, 'Corn Salad/Mache' row: 80 days to maturity, 2 in in-row spacing (combined with Santa Clara's 2-4 in gives the 2-4 range). Notes 'Cold tolerant, overwinters well.' Habit and harvest: annual, once — consistent with this source's planting-summary row. Between-row spacing 6-12 in (Corn Salad/Mache row). Start method: Vegetable Planting Summary, Corn Salad/Mache row: method D (usually direct-sown).
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara County (Containers)backs soilDepth · No mâche row; assigned shallow-rooted (6-9 in, all bands yes) by parity with the shallow-rooted greens on the chart (lettuces, spinach). Mâche is a tiny rosette 2-5 in tall (per the Santa Clara page) with a small root system, so it thrives even in shallow soil.
- Utah State University Extensionbacks germination, plantingDepth · USU Extension lamb's lettuce (mâche): direct-seed at 41–68°F soil; seeds go dormant above 70°F (the cool-germination signal). Planting depth 1/4 in: 'Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep.'
- Cornell University Home Gardeningbacks germination · Cornell Home Gardening corn salad: germination 40–85°F (best below 70°F); days to emergence 7–14 (~1 week at 50°F, 2 days at 70°F).
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara Countybacks startMethod · Start method: Planting chart: Mâche carries both rows; From seed to transplant 6 weeks.