Summer lettuce can be a bit of a drama queen. Give it too much heat, let the soil dry out, or ask it to keep producing when the thermometer starts climbing, and suddenly that promising patch of crisp green leaves turns into a bitter, bolting mess. Mâche, also called corn salad or lamb’s lettuce, offers a very different strategy because this petite salad green prefers the cool conditions that make summer lettuce struggle.
That does not mean mâche can magically turn July into October. In fact, planting it in hot soil can create a whole new gardening headache because its seeds may sit dormant instead of germinating. The trick involves timing the crop for cooler weather, giving its shallow roots consistent moisture, and resisting the temptation to treat this little rosette like a miniature head of lettuce.
