Mesclun Mixes

Mesclun isn’t the name of a plant, it’s a term for a mix of salad greens that are harvested and eaten together. The greens are sown close together and picked young, like spring mix. Because of mesclun’s popularity, most seed companies sell their own custom mesclun mixes. The composition of mixes varies: some lean toward spicy, with lots of arugula and mustard greens; others are slightly bitter, going heavy on the radicchio and endive. Still other mixes focus on creating the most colorful combination.

It pays to read the packet or catalog descriptions and see what’s in a given mix before deciding which one to choose. It should also tell you the percentage of each type of seed, so you can see the actual composition of a mix before you make your selection. Here are three representative mesclun mixes to give you an idea of what’s available. There are many more!

Mesclun Salad Mix 

• ‘Ruby’ lettuce
• ‘Royal Oak Leaf’ lettuce
• ‘Red Salad Bowl’ lettuce 
• Curled chervil
• ‘Green Ice’ lettuce 
• Arugula 
• ‘Paris White Cos’ lettuce 

Mesclun Spicy Mix  

• ‘Red Salad Bowl’ lettuce 
• ‘Red Treviso’ radicchio
• Mizuna 
• ‘Rocket’ arugula
• ‘Green Curled’ endive 

European Mesclun Mix  

• Mix of colorful lettuce cultivars 
• Mizuna
• Radicchio 
• Kale
• Arugula 
• Mustard greens
• Endive 
• Corn Salad
• Orach