Red Giant Mustard Green Seed

Scientific name

Brassica juncea

Which crops

These notes cover baby-leaf brassicas such as mustard greens, mizuna, tatsoi and komatsuna.

Soil and season

Brassica greens like soil with a pH of 6.0–7.5 and can be grown in the field all season. Sown in late summer or early fall, most are hardy enough to keep producing through winter in a cool greenhouse or high tunnel. Mustards tend to bolt in heat and long days.

Days to maturity

Counted from emergence after direct sowing.

Direct sowing

Sow from early spring to midsummer, 1/4" deep and 3–5 seeds to the inch, with 2" or more between rows. Under a tunnel or other cover, sowing can continue into late fall for overwintering.

Seeding rate

Mustard: about 1 oz. per 260 ft. of row, or 1 lb. per 4,160 ft.

Succession planting

Sow roughly every 2 weeks for a steady supply, stopping 2–3 weeks before the first fall frost.

Insect pests

Lay fabric row cover at sowing to keep flea beetles off. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) controls cabbage worms and loopers.

Disease

Rotate crops and keep beds and tools clean.

Harvest

Cut with a knife once leaves are about 3–6" long, keeping above the base of the plant so it can regrow. A second cut is usually ready in 5–14 days, depending on variety and season.

Packet

250 seeds.

Seeds per oz.

About 16,400 on average.