Mache: an ideal vegetable for cool weather

Looking for a less common vegetable to grow that will do well in cool weather? Try mache.

Mache can be an ideal plant to grow in winter in many portions of California. Mache prefers full sun at cooler temperatures from 45° F to 65° F, and may bolt or become bitter at temperatures above 70° to 75° F. It is often best planted in southern to southeastern exposures with afternoon shade, and may suffer in western or northwestern exposures.  Other than being extremely sensitive to warm or hot weather, needing somewhat loose soil and good drainage, and preferring soil pH near neutral, mache is relatively unfussy and performs well in a variety of microclimates and growing conditions.

Mache is rarely available as transplants from local nurseries, and all but the most common varieties must be grown directly from seed. Early harvest of smaller mache leaves and thinned plants may begin within 15 to 30 days of germination. Gardeners may expect to harvest entire mach plants from 45 to 90 days after germination depending upon variety and growing conditions.

When buying starts, tap the pots, cells, or containers to loosen the rootballs and look at roots. Some visible roots or a fine net of roots are acceptable; overgrown or layered roots at pot edges and bottoms may result in slow-growing, stunted, or stressed plants. Smaller mache starts of 1 to 2 inches tall may be less rootbound and may outperform larger starts after transplant.

Mache are compact plants, usually no larger than 8 inches tall and/or wide, and are ideal for growing grouped in larger containers or in small groups of a few plants in containers as small as 6-inch or 1-gallon nursery-pot size. All varieties of mache that are suitable for your site and conditions are candidates for container gardening.