The Self-Seeding Vegetable You Should Plant In September To Harvest All Winter

As the seasons change and the autumn chill creeps in, many gardens begin to fade, but what if you could continue to enjoy fresh greens from your own yard through the colder months? There's a cold-hardy leafy green you can sow in late summer or early fall that will produce a fresh harvest right through winter. Corn salad (Valerianella locusta), also known as lamb's lettuce or mâche, is an excellent crop for gardeners who want to extend their growing season and is the antidote to an empty winter garden.

Historically known as a weed, corn salad grew in grain fields after the cereal crops were harvested, which is how it got its name. Its reputation has changed over time, transforming from a plant that was foraged by peasants to a sought-after gourmet vegetable prized by chefs. It's a tough annual that needs very little maintenance and continues to grow in the garden when other produce has finished for the season. Corn salad is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 8 but is most often grown as a cold-tolerant yet short-lived annual, regardless of zone.

Planting corn salad for a tasty winter harvest is an easy process. This vegetable, like other cold-hardy vegetables, thrives in cooler temperatures and can tolerate temperatures well below freezing, making it a perfect choice to sow in September. Wait until the soil is between 50 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, then choose a spot in your garden that gets full sun, with a bit of afternoon shade if possible, and has well-draining soil. To give the seeds a good start, amend the soil with a few inches of compost. Sow the seeds directly in the ground and cover them with a thin layer of soil. You can use a broadcast spreader to plant the seeds over a larger area, or sow them in rows.

It's important to remember to keep the soil consistently moist as the seeds germinate, which can take a week or two. Once the seedlings have their first leaves, thin them to a spacing of about 3 to 6 inches. This will give the plants room to grow into small, healthy rosettes. You can also consider succession planting by sowing a new row every couple of weeks to prolong the harvest.

Within just four weeks after seeding, you can harvest your first corn salad leaves. You can pull entire heads or harvest the outer leaves of the rosettes first so the inner ones can continue to grow. Corn salad is a versatile plant, and its benefits go beyond its ability to tolerate the cold. It's packed with important nutrients, including vitamins A and C and iron. The leaves are tender, with a slightly nutty flavor that is much milder than some other types of greens, like arugula. This subtle taste makes it a good base for winter salads, and it pairs well with sweeter, earthy flavors like roasted beets, pears, or walnuts. It can also be added to sandwiches or cooked.

One unique characteristic of corn salad is its tendency to self-seed in the garden. If you leave a few plants in your garden at the end of the season, they will flower and drop seeds that will likely sprout on their own the following year, giving you a new crop without any work. This natural ability to re-establish itself makes it an easy-to-grow addition to your garden.