Doucette d’Alger / Horn of Plenty (Organic)
Fedia cornucopiae. 30-40 days.
A delicious walnut flavored, tender salad green. Doucette d’Alger is a cousin of corn salad with larger leaves and can be used in a similar manner, however it is a hot weather loving plant that thrives in mid-summer. Flowers are an attractive lilac color that bees find highly desirable. While rare in North America, it is a wild edible in the Mediterranean and can be found growing in olive groves and grain fields. Native to Northern Africa, our seed originally came from Patrice Fortier of La Societe des Plantes in Saint-Pascal, Quebec. Aka, African Valerian, Algerian Corn Salad.
Best when direct sown spring through summer, 2-3 seeds per inch in 12” rows. Germination may be slow and erratic. Thin to 6” spacing. May also be sown indoors in pots for transplant 3-4 weeks after sprouting to 6-12” centers. Will self-seed.
Seed Saving
Collect seeds from at least 5 plants. Seed shatters easily. Harvest whole plants & spread thinly on a tarp to catch seeds as they dry. Stir/flip plants daily to avoid mold. Finish air-drying seed if necessary. Winnow to clean. Very rare species; isolation for seed purity is not needed.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
This plant is amazing. I planted it a couple of years ago in a raised bed, and it has self-seeded prolifically in the bed. It germinates and grows at all times of year; right now in December I have baby plants and others in full bloom under their row cover. Hasn’t spread outside of the bed yet; I think it needs enough summer water, here in a very hot very dry summer climate, that it isn’t seeding outside the bed (but it might, in places with summer rain). The flowers are beautiful and plentiful. Overall an easy, beautiful, carefree edible.
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Isabell Norman (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
The first year I grew it, I think this is my 3rd season, it grew really great all summer but died back in Winter. I am growing it outside my raised beds but right next to one, so it gets some water from the bed. Last summer it grew great initially but then just crept along sporadically, not looking too hot and small harvest, it definitely did not well with all the ash from the wildfires. But now this winter, with all the wet and the cool weather it’s looking happy, growing, spreading, flowering, giving me enough to add to my salads. It seems to grow better than my kales this winter, certainly it is looking much better. I am reorganizing my Milwaukie garden so I get more ground level beds on the outer edges, so I can have more spreaders and perennial crops, I don’t need to replant all the time that won’t hog my beds. This will be a great groundcover for that section and it’s also pretty and bees seem to like it as well.
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niteant (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
Winter of 2022-23 and 18°F did in my vigorous Doucette, so the die back point is somewhere between 26° (2020-21) and 18°F. Its Feb, and seeds from summer plants are already coming up in the path next to the bed. I’m going to continue to plant for winter salad greens, as well as summer, because who knows anymore how cold or hot any year is going to be.
It survived the late Portland snow and the 26°F nicely, unlike any other lettuce type green, and is still chugging along at the beginning of April ‘21. Bees are having a nice time
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