Claytonia Growing Guide

Claytonia also known as Miner’s lettuce, winter purslane
This cool-season salad green readily self-seeds and can overwinter in Zone 6 and warmer. While somewhat aggressive, it makes a handsome low-growing cover for edible landscaping.

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:
„ full sun
Soil conditions:
„ requires well-drained soil
„ requires high fertility
Well-drained, rich soil, high in organic matter, neutral pH. Optimum pH is 6.2 to 6.8. Requires plentiful, even moisture for good yields.

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: annual
Biennial grown as annual.
Ease-of-care: moderately difficult
Easy if you have rich well-drained soil and good weed control.
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet
Bloom time: mid-summer
Usually does not flower unless grown from sets that are too large (more than ½ to ¾ inches in diameter), or young plants (direct seeded or transplanted) are stressed by abnormally cold weather.
Foliage color: medium green
Foliage texture: medium
Shape: upright
Tolerates:
„ Frost

Special Considerations

Tolerates:

• frost - Tolerates moderate frost

Special characteristics:

• native to North America - Native to western North America from British Columbia to Mexico.

Special uses:

• edible flowers - Unlike most cool-season salad greens, claytonia maintains flavor and quality even when in flower. Hot weather turns it bitter.
• edible landscaping - Low-growing, cool-season salad green with dark green foliage and small white flowers.

Growing Information

How to plant:

Maintenance and care

4 to 6 weeks before last spring frost, direct seed ¼ inch deep, ½ inch apart in rows 8 to 12 inches apart.

Make succession plantings from early to midspring. Resume plantings in late summer to midfall for fall and winter harvest.

Thin to 2 to 3 inches if harvesting cut-and-come-again style, or 4 to 6 inches if harvesting leaves individually.

Unlike most greens, claytonia maintains flavor and quality even when plants flower. Flavor turns bitter in hot weather.

Plants may overwinter in Zone 6 and warmer. Can be grown as a winter crop in a cold frame in Zones 4 and 5