Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant mâche
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 5; Spokane Apr 1 – May 6; Boise Mar 20 – Apr 24; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 2.
Your dates in
Mâche is a low salad green related to valerian, not lettuce, eaten raw as whole rosettes, often with just a simple vinaigrette. European farmers once gathered it as a wild plant in grain fields, which is where the name corn salad comes from.
Puts mâche on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- Thin to 3 to 4 inches apart
- Planting depth
- ¼ to ½ inch deep
- Frost
- Very hardy; picks through most winters
- First harvest
- About 50 days after planting
Also called corn salad or lamb's lettuce: small rosettes of mild, nutty leaves. It's one of the hardiest salad greens, so the main sowing goes in late summer for picking through winter.
Mâche planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden | Plant again for fall |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 10 – Sep 14 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 – Aug 17 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Mar 5 – Apr 9 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Mar 13 – Apr 17 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Mar 4 – Apr 8 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 6 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 – Aug 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 30 – Jun 4 | Jul 5 – Aug 9 |
| Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 17 – Aug 21 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 23 – May 28 | Jul 16 – Aug 20 |
| Madras, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Aug 2 – Sep 6 |
| Prineville, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 21 – Aug 25 |
| Baker City, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 14 – Aug 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise and Joseph, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 30 – Sep 3 |
| Hermiston, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 8 – Sep 12 |
| Hood River, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 11 – Sep 15 |
| John Day, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 17 – Aug 21 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 30 – Sep 3 |
| Ontario, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 12 – Sep 16 |
| Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Mar 18 – Apr 22 | Aug 12 – Sep 16 |
| Shelton, WA | Mar 16 – Apr 20 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Sequim, WA | Mar 10 – Apr 14 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Mar 11 – Apr 15 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 29 – Sep 2 |
| Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 5 – Sep 9 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 3 – May 8 | Jul 21 – Aug 25 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 5 – Sep 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 7 – May 12 | Jul 24 – Aug 28 |
| Moses Lake, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 6 – Sep 10 |
| Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 4 – Sep 8 |
| Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 9 – Sep 13 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 27 – May 1 | Aug 2 – Sep 6 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 31 – Sep 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 10 – Sep 14 |
| Bonners Ferry, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 2 – Sep 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
| Sandpoint, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 27 – Aug 31 |
| Lewiston, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 31 – Sep 4 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 17 |
|---|---|---|
| McCall, ID | May 11 – Jun 15 | Jul 1 – Aug 5 |
| Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 11 – Sep 15 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 2 – Sep 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 30 – Sep 3 |
| Pocatello, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 9 – Sep 13 |
| Rexburg, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 23 – Aug 27 |
| Salmon, ID | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 23 – Aug 27 |
Mâche year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Mar | Apr | Aug | Sep | ||||||||
| Harvest | Jan | Feb | Mar | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow mâche
- Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
- Plant seeds on your city's dates, ¼ to ½ inch deep, Thin to 3 to 4 inches apart.
- Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
- Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
- Harvest: Cut whole rosettes at the soil line once they have 8 to 10 leaves, or pick the larger ones and leave the rest to grow. Rinse well, since grit hides in the rosettes.
Growing mâche in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Mâche is a true winter salad here. Sow it in September and pick it from late fall through early spring.
Coast
Oregon and Washington coast
Mild winters let mâche grow slowly through the coldest months.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Sow in late summer and cover plants in winter; mâche is very cold hardy but won't grow in summer heat.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Sow in late summer under row cover, or in early spring as soon as the soil thaws.
More mâche varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Vit
Glossy, dark green rosettes and good resistance to mildew. A reliable choice for fall and winter harvests.
Both sides
Verte de Cambrai
A classic French variety with small, round leaves and a nutty flavor. Very cold-hardy for winter picking.
Both sides
Large Seeded Dutch
Bigger, lighter green leaves that size up faster than small-leaved types. Good for early spring sowings.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
For a family of four, a 4- to 6-foot row, or a small bed broadcast with seed in late summer.
What to expect
Each rosette is small, about a salad serving per 8 to 10 plants.
Storing the harvest
Keeps four or five days in the fridge. Pick it the day you eat it when you can.
What to plant after mâche
Around Portland, the mâche harvest wraps up around March. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.
- Peas Mar 1 – Apr 12
- Radishes Mar 1 – Apr 26
- Spinach Mar 1 – Apr 5
- Lettuce Mar 1 – Apr 26
- Onions Mar 1 – Apr 5
- Cilantro Mar 1 – Apr 19
- Arugula Mar 1 – Apr 12
- Bok choy Mar 1 – Apr 5
Peas 
Radishes 
Spinach 
Lettuce 
Onions 
Cilantro 
Arugula 
Bok choy Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.
Key numbers
- 50–70°F (cool)Soil to sprout
- 50–60Days to harvest
- Late summerMain sowing
- Very hardyCold hardiness
Top care tip: Keep the seedbed moist and shaded until it sprouts, then mostly leave it alone through fall and winter.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
A green for the dark months
Mâche, also called corn salad or lamb's lettuce, makes small rosettes of mild, nutty leaves. It's one of the most cold-hardy salad greens there is, which is why Northwest gardeners treat it as a winter crop rather than a spring one.
The main sowing goes in from mid-August into September. Plants grow slowly through fall and can be picked through most west-side winters. Spring sowings work too, but they bolt as soon as days lengthen.
Getting it to sprout
The seed germinates best in cool soil and poorly in summer heat, so late-summer sowings can be slow and patchy. Keep the seedbed moist and lightly shaded until seedlings appear, which can take one to two weeks.
It isn't fussy about soil. Plants are small, so sow in a band and thin to 3 or 4 inches apart. An empty bed after summer crops, a cold frame or a spot between garlic rows all work.
Harvest and care
Cut whole rosettes at the soil line, or pick the biggest plants and let the others keep growing. Rinse carefully, since soil splashes into the rosettes in winter rain.
Slugs are the main pest. A cold frame or row cover speeds growth in winter and keeps leaves cleaner. In spring, let a few plants flower and drop seed, and mâche often comes back on its own in fall.
Good neighbors and crop rotation
Good neighbors
- Garlic. Fills the bare winter soil between rows.
- Kale and leeks. Other winter crops that share a bed through the cold months.
Valerian group of the honeysuckle family: Mâche has no close relatives among common vegetables, so it fits anywhere in a rotation. It's a handy winter crop for beds cleared of summer vegetables.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with mâche in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Slugs
Signs: Holes in rosettes in winter.
What to do: Slug bait on mild, wet nights.
Poor sprouting
Signs: Patchy rows in warm soil.
What to do: Sow once late-summer soil cools, and keep the seedbed moist.
Common questions about growing mâche
When should I plant mâche in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 5 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 6 in Spokane, Mar 20 – Apr 24 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 2 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
When should I plant mâche in the Northwest?
Sow in late summer, from mid-August into September, for picking from late fall through winter. You can also sow in early spring, but it bolts quickly as days lengthen.
Why isn't my mâche sprouting?
The soil is probably too warm. Mâche germinates best in cool soil. Sow a little later, keep the bed moist and shaded, and be patient for up to two weeks.
What does mâche taste like?
Mild, tender and slightly nutty, with no bitterness. It's good on its own with a light dressing or mixed with sharper greens like arugula.
See what else to plant in March, April, August or September.
Swiss chard
Celery
Radicchio