Mache is an annual grown for its leaves, ready to start cutting about 50 days after sowing. Notably, it grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its spring flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the leaves are the prize. Once it comes in, a single planting keeps producing for about three weeks, so you harvest over time rather than all at once.
Mache — the short answer
Mache: full sun, pH 6–7.5, about 50 days to maturity.
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 50 days
- OSU-PNW; Johnny's
- Frost-kill temperature
- -5°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Mache on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether mache actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score mache against your land's real conditions.
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What Mache is
Mache grows as an annual and reaches around 6 inches at maturity. It blooms white in spring. It's also well suited to containers.
How to grow Mache
Mache is ready to harvest about 50 days after planting. Mache does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 600 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 45 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
Data pending
Soil pH
6 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
-5°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Days to Maturity
50 days
Mâche / corn salad; cold-tolerant; overwinter in zones 6+.
OSU-PNW; Johnny's
GDD Required
600+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
45+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant mache in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Mache prefers pH 6 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Mache is ready about 50 days after sowing (OSU-PNW; Johnny's). Cut the outer leaves as you need them — frequent harvest keeps new growth coming.
Where Mache thrives
Whether mache thrives on a given site comes down to its soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates — the conditions that vary parcel to parcel.
What grows around Mache
Growing guides for mache
In rotation planning, mache counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in vegetable
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — mache isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Mache offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest mache, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant mache for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Mache's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Mache will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether mache actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Mache
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Mache in my zone?
Zone data for mache is being finalized. A Growable Ground report checks your parcel's full suitability against federal soil, climate, and zone data.
How long does Mache take to grow?
Mache is ready to harvest about 50 days after planting (OSU-PNW; Johnny's). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Mache?
Mache is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Mache need?
Mache needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Mache need?
Mache prefers soil pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Mache attract pollinators?
Yes — mache's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees.
Is Mache safe for pets?
Mache is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)