Plant library · Vegetables
Valerianella locusta
Corn salad is a compact annual salad green, also called mache, that earns its space in the garden during the cooler parts of the year. At roughly 6 inches tall and wide, it forms a low planting that suits the front of a vegetable bed, a shallow raised bed, or a container kept close to the kitchen. Expect harvests in early spring and fall, with about 45 days to maturity.
Use corn salad as a tightly planted cool-season block rather than a single specimen. Its low profile lets it occupy the near edge of a bed without hiding taller crops behind it, while partial sun makes it useful where a wall, fence, or neighboring planting softens the day’s light. Keep it beside a path or bed edge so the small rosettes can be harvested without stepping into the planting area.
Set plants 3 inches apart, center to center, for a dense, efficient patch. Each plant can reach about 6 inches wide, so individual rosettes may meet and overlap as the bed fills; treat the close spacing as a harvest-oriented planting pattern rather than a layout for permanent separation. Reserve a clear reach-in edge along one side of the patch, especially in beds wider than 2 feet.
Place corn salad in full sun to partial shade in soil that drains freely while remaining evenly moist. A bed with loose, workable soil helps keep this close-set crop easy to sow and harvest. Avoid locating it where water stands after rain, particularly during its cool-season growing window.[1]
Give this annual a dedicated cool-season slot, then plan to clear or replace it as conditions warm because it bolts quickly in heat. A fall planting can occupy ground left open by summer crops, while an early-spring planting can finish before larger warm-season vegetables need the space. Leave room in the plan for a second short sowing rather than relying on one long harvest period.
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.