What is it? What sort of container do you need?

'Mesclun' is the French name and 'misticanza' is the Italian name. In English, there is no one-word name for it, although I think the best description would be 'a mixture of baby salad greens'. I usually see the French word used to describe this delicious mix, probably for the sake of brevity. Mesclun is very well-suited to container growing, in fact, many (probably most) market farmers who grow mesclun mix for sale, grow it in containers. Mesclun will be ready to start harvesting about 30 days from seed-sowing: a fast crop indeed. Mixtures of seeds are sold specifically for growing as baby salad greens.

But what actually is it? This varies, but it always includes several types of lettuce. In fact, some mesclun mixes are composed solely of lettuce. More often other plants are included with brassicas (cabbage-family plants, such as mizuna) being the most frequent other component. Other plants, such as arugala, certain herbs, beets (for the young greens) or other greens, are sometimes included. But I think these are best grown separately and added to the mixture after harvesting, as the fast-growing lettuces and brassicas will outgrow the slower plants.

Mesclun is picked when the plants are only about 3-4" high and, therefore, it is very quickly grown and does not need a deep container. In fact, many people grow it in ordinary plastic flats that are about 20" x 10" and only 3" deep. (These would be, of course, flats with drainage holes.) You can grow it in almost any other container too: the idea is to have a large surface area but relatively low depth to minimize the amount of growing medium you'll need. The picture shows mesclun currently growing on our deck - you can see that it's in a plastic bowl (in which we punched holes for drainage). For another container idea: white vinyl house guttering is for sale this week at one of the local do-it-yourself stores: $4.05 for ten feet. This is 5" deep, and I think it will be just about the perfect container for growing mesclun (assuming that its shape is such that it will sit flat on the ground). We'll buy two 10-foot pieces, with 8 end caps, and cut each piece in half. That will give me four 5-foot pieces of white vinyl guttering for mesclun mix (or lettuce or strawberries). If your floor, or ground, area is limited, you could probably hang the lengths of guttering from poles, giving you a tiered hanging garden that greatly multiplies your growing area.

How do I grow it?

First and foremost, both lettuce and the brassicas are cold-weather plants, so it's best to grow mesclun in spring and fall. You might be able to keep it going during the heat of summer if you can provide it with some shade and if you live in a reasonably cool-summer area (I can, for instance, but I'll bet it wouldn't grow in Florida's hot summers). So you can start mesclun in early spring, make several successive plantings, quit for the hottest times, then start again about three weeks before your first anticipated fall frost date. You can then continue successive plantings, if you wish, until really cold weather sets in. Mine is outdoors now (November) and it's been pretty cold here. In fact, I saw a few snowflakes this morning. It could certainly be grown indoors under plant lights too, or in a greenhouse.

Just fill a shallow container (with drainage holes) with growing medium (I use soil-less mix, such as Pro-Mix), and get it thoroughly wet. Then sprinkle your seeds thickly on top of the mist. I don't try for rows or any particular planting pattern: I just sprinkle the seeds all over the top. Lettuce seeds need light to germinate, and the brassicas - always ready to leap into life - won't mind having some light, so don't cover the seeds. Keep evenly moist (perhaps by covering loosely with a plastic bag, or by misting) until the seeds have sprouted, then move the mesclun to somewhere in direct sun, or under grow lights. From then on, water as you would any container plant, and feed with a balanced plant food about twice a week.

Start cutting when leaves are 3" to 4" tall. Don't pull them out: just snip with scissors, and most will probably regrow, giving you at least one additional cutting. The mesclun pictured is ready for harvest: you want to harvest it young for the most delicious salads. Mesclun is really an easy crop to grow, although one requiring just a bit of hand labor (cutting the leaves), and the delicate young leaves don't ship or store very well, which probably explains the insanely high price charged for mesclun in stores. Your home-grown mesclun will be much fresher and better, besides affording a tremendous cost savings.