How to Grow Mixed Greens (Mesclun)

Mixed salad greens, also known as mesclun, is a mix of assorted small young salad leaves that originally came from Provence, France.

Traditionally, the mix includes arugula, chervil, endive, and other leafy lettuces, though the term now often refers to an undetermined mix of whatever baby salad greens happen to be available. These mixes may include arugula, lettuces, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, dandelion, endive, mizuna, mâche (lamb’s lettuce), mustard greens, radicchio, and sorrel in addition to any other leafy greens.

 

Planting Lettuce

Grow mixed greens in any sized pot, sprinkling seeds evenly over moist soil. Cover lightly with soil, and pat down lightly. Wide, shallow pots are great for salad greens, as they only need to be about 10 cm (4″) deep to accommodate their shallow roots.

To eliminate the guesswork in selecting the right size containers for your plants, we’ve put together a list of commonly grown herbs, veggies, fruit and flowers along with the minimum pot sizes required by each.

Starting a container garden? Grab my free guide on choosing the best sized pots for each veggie, fruit, and herb in your container garden – Veggie Garden Potting Guide

 

Watering Lettuce

Keep well watered. Fertilize occasionally with an all purpose liquid fertilizer, or dig in a granular fertilizer when planting.

 

Where Can I Grow It?

You can grow mixed greens indoors or outdoors, in any location as long as they are receiving adequate light.

 

Lettuce Growing Tips

Salad greens can be harvested in two ways. When plants are at least 10 cm (3″) tall, cut everything 2-5 cm (1-2″) from the ground with scissors. The salad greens will regrow for a second harvest in 2 -3 weeks. Alternatively, you can pick individual leaves as needed.

Plant every three weeks from early spring until the end of summer for a continuous harvest.

If you offer protection from frost, such as with a cloche, most salad green mixes will continue to grow through the winter months.

 

Companion Planting

Most salad greens get along well with many plants that can be found in the urban garden. It can be beneficial to grow mixed greens alongside beans, beets, green onions, radishes, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, cilantro, dill, nasturtium, mint or thyme.

Mint is especially helpful when grown near salad greens as they help to repel slugs and snails, whose favorite place to snack is on your juicy lettuce leaves.

Avoid planting salad greens along with celery, cabbage, or parsley.