key growing information

Baby-Leaf Brassica Greens Growing Info: How to Sow, Grow & Harvest

How to grow baby-leaf brassica greens such as mustard, mizuna, tatsoi and komatsuna: soil, sowing rates, seeder rollers, succession planting, pest control and harvest.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Baby-Leaf Brassica Greens - Key Growing Information

A profusion of freshly harvested baby-leaf brassica varieties.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

These notes cover baby-leaf crops of the following brassicas, among them baby mustards, mizuna, tatsoi and komatsuna: Brassica carinata; B. juncea; B. napus ('Red Russian' and 'KX-1'); B. rapa; B. rapa var. chinensis ('Tokyo Bekana' and 'Rosie'); B. rapa var. japonica; B. rapa var. narinosa ('Tatsoi'); and B. rapa var. perviridis ('Green Giant').

CULTURE:

Brassicas like a soil pH of 6–7.5 and can be sown throughout the field season. Late-summer and early-fall sowings of most varieties are cold-tolerant enough for winter growing in unheated greenhouses and high tunnels. DAYS TO MATURITY: Counted from emergence of direct-sown seed.

DIRECT SEEDING:

From early spring to midsummer, plant ¼" deep at 3–5 seeds per inch in rows 2" or more apart. Sowing can continue into late fall for crops overwintered in a high tunnel or similar shelter.
RECOMMENDED JANG SEED ROLLER (baby leaf): Mustard, mizuna, pac choi and tatsoi: Y-24 or X-24. Chinese cabbage, kale and komatsuna: X-24 or F-24. (When more than one roller is listed, the one with larger holes puts more plants in each inch. Denser stands give longer stems and narrower, slower-sizing leaves that stretch out the baby-leaf harvest, but they also dull color, speed bolting, and need more water and fertility. Expect some trial and adjustment to find what suits your setup.)AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: Mizuna, tatsoi, komatsuna and pac choi: about 210' per oz., 3,300' per lb. Kale: 1,000 seeds sow about 16'; 115' per oz.; 1,840' per lb. Mustard: about 260' per oz., 4,160' per lb.

SUCCESSION PLANTING:

Plant about every two weeks for a steady supply, stopping 2–3 weeks before your first frost.

INSECT PESTS:

Cover beds with fabric row cover at sowing and/or use an insecticide such as azadirachtin or pyrethrin to manage flea beetles. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) controls cabbage worms and loopers. DISEASE: Rotation and good sanitation keep disease down.

HARVEST:

Cut with a knife once leaves are about 3–6" long, staying above the basal plate if you want regrowth. A second cutting is usually ready in 5–14 days, depending on variety and time of year.SIZED SEEDS: Kale seed is sized unless noted otherwise. SEEDS/OZ.: Average seeds per oz.: mustard 16,200; mizuna, tatsoi and komatsuna 12,650; pac choi 10,300; kale 7,750.PACKET: 250 seeds, enough for about 4'. Kale: 100 seeds, about 1½'.