'Corn salad' is a plant in the Valerianella (Corn Salad) genus with a scientific name of Valerianella locusta.
This plant is grown for its small, medium-green leaves, which are usually eaten raw. It grows as a small rosette of dark green, flat leaves with insignificant veining. It grows wild in Europe and in parts of the US where it has escaped cultivation.
It is a flowering edible vegetable / herb that typically grows as an annual, which is defined as a plant that matures and completes its lifecycle over the course of a single year.
Corn salad normally grows to a forb habit with a max height of 5.85 inches (that's 15.0 cm metric). This plant tends to be ready for harvesting by mid autumn.
France is believed to be where Corn salad originates from.
Corn salad is normally quite a low maintenance plant and is normally very easy to grow - great for beginner gardeners!
This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Corn salad have been kindly provided by our members.
Has a tendency to bolt in warm conditions.
Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun / partial sun and remember to water moderately. Use Zone 5 - Zone 11 as your guideline for the appropriate climate for this plant. Try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 5.6 and 7.5 as Corn salad likes to be in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil. Keep in mind when planting that Corn salad is thought of as half hardy, so although it can survive a small mild cold snap, it is wise to ensure that this plant is protected from frost damage.
See our list of companion Plants for Corn salad to see which plants you should plant in close proximity to encourage growth.
Sow into prepared soil which has already been watered. Seeds germinate poorly if at all in warm weather. Sow every two to three weeks for a continuous harvest.
Sow 0.31 inches (0.8 cm) deep with a guideline distance of 1.95 inches (5.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 10°C / 50°F to ensure good germination.
Direct sow outdoors in the fall.
No thinning out is usually necessary.Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Corn salad is a half hardy plant.
Ready to use when 3-4 leaves have developed
These estimates for how long Corn salad takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average 12 days | Min 2 days | Max 45 days (33)
Average 24 days | Min 24 days | Max 24 days (1)
Average 47 days | Min 15 days | Max 171 days (9)
Grew as a weed amongst the corn in corn fields (“corn salad”)
The Brothers Grimm’s tale Rapunzel may have taken its name from this plant, as the eponymous character is named for the “salad” which her father has come into the sorceress’ garden to steal.
Lambs lettuce, Lewiston cornsalad, Fetticus, Mâche, Doucette, Rampon, Rampien, Field salad, Feldsalat, Rapunzel, Canónigos, Valeriana, Mache, Vit, Mäche, veldsla
Valerianella locusta (L.) Lat.
Misspellings: Lamb's Lettuce, Lambs Lettuces, Mache