Salad Leaves Fancy Summer Mix - Mesclun

'Fancy Summer Mix' is a colourful, whimsical Mesclun with a wide array of flavours: it includes Cress, Purslane, Scarlet Emperor Orach, Chamomile, Rocket, Spinach and Shungiku (Chopsuey Greens). Perfect for brightening up summer salads! Sow outdoors from March to September and harvest from May to October.

Mesclun, from the French Provençal word "mesclum" meaning "mixture", is made up of several different salad greens with a wide range of flavours. It usually includes at least five different varieties, such as Lettuce, Rocket, Lambs Lettuce etc. The leaves are generally picked when they are still young and tender. They can be harvested nearly all year round, raw or cooked.

Impatient gardeners and gourmets alike will love these seed mixes for the wonderful range of flavours they provide, at such little cost!

Harvest the young leaves as and when needed, making sure you leave enough on the plant for it to continue putting out new leaves. Use a knife to gently cut off the plants’ outer leaves.

These salad mixes are easy-to-grow and don't require much space to thrive. Why not try growing them in a planter on the edge of a balcony or in a square foot vegetable garden?

Mesclun can be stored for a few days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, however it's best eaten fresh off the plant!

Useful tip: Flea beetles are partial to rocket leaves, which are often included in Mesclun mixes. They eat away at the leaves during dry and hot spells. Installing insect netting after sowing is the most effective way of controlling this problem, while avoiding the use of insecticides. Even homemade insecticides can have an impact on the garden's natural balance.