Variety field guide
What to expect from Dutch Broad Leaved Corn Salad (Mâche)
Dutch Broad Leaved is an annual corn salad selection grown for cool-season salad rosettes, fall planting, and seed saving.
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The cool-weather green of European kitchens. ‘Dutch Broad Leaved’ corn salad, also known as mâche, produces small rosettes of smooth, spoon-shaped leaves with a delicate, nutty flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture. Its mild taste makes it perfect for winter salads and cold-season harvesting when most greens are long gone. Plants form low, compact clusters that thrive in cool weather, tolerating light frost and self-seeding freely for naturalized beds.
Minimum seeds per packet: 150 seeds.
About Dutch Broad Leaved
Dutch Broad Leaved is an annual selection of corn salad, with a rosette habit and an expected height or spread of 4-6 in. It is best suited to cool-season salad rosettes, fall planting, and seed saving. Notable traits include harvest full rosettes or cut leaves while conditions remain cool; mild, tender, slightly nutty leaves.
Gardeners comparing named strains should evaluate Dutch Broad Leaved for uniformity, flavor, timing, and plant form rather than assuming another corn salad will perform identically.
History and provenance
Leafy greens have been selected for rosette form, head type, color, texture, bitterness, season, and bolt resistance. Mixtures and market classes should not be given a single invented pedigree, and forcing chicory, endive, lettuce, and spinach remain botanically distinct crops. Corn Salad, more widely known as mâche (Valerianella locusta), is one of the oldest known cultivated leafy greens in Europe, with a history that bridges the gap between wild foraging and organized agriculture. Unlike many modern vegetables that were intentionally domesticated early, mâche began as a wild plant that naturally grew in fields, meadows, and cultivated grain lands, particularly across Western and Central Europe. Its origins are most strongly tied to the Mediterranean Basin and temperate regions of Europe, where it thrived in cool seasons as a self-seeding annual. Historically, mâche was not initially planted as a crop but was instead gathered from the wild. It commonly appeared in wheat and barley fields-hence the name “corn salad,” where “corn” referred to grain crops rather than maize. Farmers and foragers would collect the tender rosettes during the cooler months when few other fresh greens were available. An old European heirloom first cultivated in France and the Netherlands centuries ago, this variety remains beloved for its sweetness, tenderness, and resilience-proof that winter can still bring abundance.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Valerianella locusta (L.) Laterr. |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Annual |
| Maturity | 40-49 Days |
| Germination | 7-14 Days at 45–60 °F |
| Seed depth | 1/4 in |
| Plant height / spread | 4-6 in |
| Growth habit | Rosette |
| Spacing | 4 in between plants; 12 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full - Partial Sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Dutch Broad Leaved from seed
Sow 1/4 in deep and keep the seed zone evenly moist. Expect emergence in 7-14 Days when the seed-zone temperature is near 45–60 °F. Germination preparation: Direct sow into a prepared, weed-free seedbed; avoid disturbing developing roots or dense stands. Light requirement: Cover evenly to 1/4 in. Soaking: None required. Stratification: None required. Scarification: None required.
Planting and care
Plant during spring/Fall and provide full - partial sun. Space plants 4 in apart with 12 in between rows. Use loamy with a pH near 6.0–6.5, and follow a moderate watering plan. Support requirement: No-Support. Frost response: Hardy. Good container fit with drainage, even moisture, and the listed spacing
Harvest and use
Approximately 40-49 Days, from cool direct sowing to a harvestable rosette. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date. Harvest: Harvest full rosettes or cut leaves while conditions remain cool. Uses: Cool-season salad rosettes, fall planting, and seed saving. Flavor: mild, tender, slightly nutty leaves. Seed saving: Open-pollinated herb or leafy crop. Best uses include cool-season salad rosettes, fall planting, and seed saving. Flavor and eating quality: mild, tender, slightly nutty leaves.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Dutch Broad Leaved plants that match the expected rosette habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Open-pollinated herb or leafy crop. Compatible plants of the same species may cross to varying degrees through insects or wind. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Allow selected plants to pass the eating stage and reach full botanical seed maturity. Harvest only when seed heads, pods, or fruits have matured enough for sound seed development. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Damping-off, aphids, slugs, caterpillars, leaf spots, root rots, and stress-related bolting or poor establishment. Management: Start with clean seed and mix, match temperature to the crop, avoid overwatering, provide airflow, scout regularly, and rotate families. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Dutch Broad Leaved
When is Dutch Broad Leaved ready? Use 40-49 Days. Approximately 40-49 Days, from cool direct sowing to a harvestable rosette. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date.
How long does germination take? Expect 7-14 Days at about 45–60 °F. Cooler, hotter, crusted, saturated, or dry seedbeds can slow emergence.
How large does it grow? Expect about 4-6 in with a rosette habit. Space plants 4 in apart and rows 12 in apart. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container? Good container fit with drainage, even moisture, and the listed spacing Use a container with drainage and enough volume to maintain the listed spacing and steady moisture.
Can I save seed? Open-pollinated herb or leafy crop. Keep compatible varieties isolated and allow selected plants to reach full seed maturity.
