Vegetable / Cool season
Mustard Greens
Peppery leaves in a month, gone to seed by summer
Plant out byApr 20zone 6
- Family
- Mustard (Brassicaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Days to harvest
- 30-50 days
- Spacing
- 4 in apart, rows 18 in
- Pot size
- 2 gal pot (great in pots)
- Frost
- Half-hardy
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, sow or plant outdoors Mar 9 to Apr 20; sow again for fall Aug 25 to Sep 29. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Mustard greens taste like the plant has an opinion. Young leaves carry a mild bite, a bit like arugula, while older ones grown in summer heat can be hot enough to make you cough. Most of that comes down to weather. Leaves that mature in cool temperatures stay tender, but heat, dry soil and poor fertility push the flavor strong and the texture tough.
They are fast. 'Savannah' is ready in about 35 days and 'Southern Giant Curled' in about 50, and baby leaves come sooner still. The quick growth hides the main watch-out: long, warm days make mustard bolt. Sow the spring crop 3 to 6 weeks before your last frost, then again a few weeks later. Pull those plants when hot weather arrives, before flower stalks show.
Fall is the better season in a lot of gardens. Sow every two weeks from late summer until 2 to 3 weeks before your first frost, and established plants handle a light frost. Arkansas Extension notes the later summer plantings usually do best there. Seeds germinate any time the soil is above 45 degrees F, but summer sowings need moist soil rich in organic matter. Flea beetles chew pinholes in seedlings, and cabbage worms and aphids turn up later. A window box is enough for a cut-and-come-again patch on a balcony. 'Red Giant' has purple-red leaves pretty enough to edge a flower bed.
Things to consider
- Slow-bolting types such as 'Southern Giant Curled' and 'Florida Broadleaf' buy a little extra time in spring. None of them hold up well through midsummer. Sowing a small batch every couple of weeks means one bolting row never wipes out your supply.
- Pests leave pinholes long before they do real damage. Row cover laid down on sowing day keeps flea beetles off the seedlings during their weakest weeks. On older leaves, a few pinholes are mostly cosmetic, and the greens are still fine to cook.
- Mustard grows fast and needs steady food and water to match. Work fertilizer in before sowing and water through dry spells, or the leaves stay small and harsh. Thin seedlings to 2 to 4 inches apart and toss the extras into a salad. Wider spacing gives bigger leaves for cooking.
Good neighbours
Pests to watch for
Flea beetlesAphidsCabbage wormsCabbage loopers
Questions about growing mustard greens
Why are my mustard greens so spicy?
Warm weather, dry soil and low fertility all make the flavor stronger. Picking leaves young helps a lot. Cooking also mellows the bite. Mixing a few raw leaves into a milder lettuce salad is another way to tame them.
Is leaf mustard related to the mustard seed in my spice rack?
Closely. Leaf mustard is Brassica juncea, the same species that gives brown mustard seed. Let a plant flower and dry and you can collect seed, though its leaves are long past eating by then. Seed saved from hybrids such as 'Savannah' may not grow true to type. Open-pollinated kinds like 'Southern Giant Curled' are the better bet for saving.
How do I harvest mustard so it keeps producing?
Pick the outer leaves and leave the center to grow. Some growers cut the whole plant instead and sow a new row. Toss any yellowed or wilted leaves. Rinse well, since grit hides in curly types like 'Southern Giant Curled'.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.