Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea)

There is nothing that wakes up a person faster, not even coffee, than a bite of raw mustard greens early in the morning! It goes straight to the sinus with a powerful wasabi punch, and for many people that makes it a great raw addition to salads and slaws. Mustard greens loose the sharp pungent edge when cooked by themselves or with other brassicas like kale or collards, either in a quick sauté or slow braise with some ham hock for a traditional mess of greens.

 

Nutrients: vitamins A, K, and C, folate, calcium, and manganese  

How to Grow Mustard Greens from Seed

Bed Preparation

A moderately frost-tolerant biennial that is easy-to-grow by direct seed or transplant in full sun or partial shade

Planting

Mustards can be succession planted in the spring, and again late summer through early fall, for a continual harvest. Using season extension allows for harvests through the winter. Plant Seeds: 1/4"deep with 1" between seeds, in rows 18"apart. Soil Temp: 60-85 F. Days to Sprout: 3-12. Thin To/Mature Plant Spacing: 4-8". Companions: beets, carrots, dill, lettuce, onion, spinach, tomato, nasturtium, cilantro. Seeds/Oz: 15,000. Seed Wt./100' Row: 1 oz. Yield/100' row: 80-100 lbs.

Harvest

Days to Harvest: 30-45. As the plants mature, they will become spicier and will then be better suited to cooking which will take out some of the bitterness. Pick the outer leaves as needed for salads and cooking for a prolonged harvest because this method keeps the plant growing more leaves from the center outward and you don’t have to wait for a new plant to grow.            

How to Save Mustard Green Seeds

Pollination, insect; Life Cycle, annual; Isolation Distance, ½ mile

Seed pods form shortly after flowering, and can be gathered as they dry, or left on the plant and pulled up all at once. Separate seed from pods much like beans, winnowing the tiny seeds from the chaff. Seed Viability: 4-5 years.