Mesclun - Vilmorin Seeds

Mesclun is a mixture composed of lettuces (Blonde Oak Leaf 20%, Red Salad Bowl 20%), chicories (frisée 15%, Scarole 15%, wild 10%), chervil (15%), and rocket (5%). Sowings should be staggered from January to July for a harvest from April to October. This mixture will allow you to create beautiful, colorful composed salads.

Mesclun, from the Provençal word « mesclum » which means mixture, is a salad composed of different varieties, at least five for purists. Highly appreciated for its wide range of flavors, this small salad is generally harvested at the « young plant » stage and can be consumed raw or even cooked throughout the year.

Busy gardeners will appreciate these seed mixtures as much as gourmets, as they allow for a variety of flavors with minimal cost and just one sowing.

These salads are called « cut and come again » because they generally have the ability to regrow after harvest, as long as the plant is not completely harvested.

Cultivating these mixtures is easy and space-saving, as they can usually be grown in containers on a balcony or in restricted spaces like square foot gardens.

Harvest: these salad mixtures can be harvested as needed, either at the juvenile stage or at maturity. Harvesting is done with a knife by picking the leaves on the outer edges of the plant.

Storage: Mesclun can be stored for a few days in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, but whenever possible, consume it freshly picked to enjoy its full freshness.

Gardener's tip: Flea beetles, tiny beetles, are fond of Rocket leaves, which are often part of Mesclun mixtures. They meticulously puncture the leaves during dry and hot weather. While spraying tansy infusion can limit the damage, installing insect-proof netting from the moment of sowing remains the most effective method of control, while avoiding the use of insecticides, which even if of natural origin, can have consequences on the garden's balance.