Growing the same old things in your vegetable patch year after year can get boring in both the garden and the kitchen. Experiment with a quick cool-season crop of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) to add lush color to your garden and zesty flavor to salads and stir-fries, before your tried-and-true main season crops in late spring. Indian mustard, also called just plain "mustard," comes in many cultivars from 6 to 24 inches tall with foliage that ranges from plain green to rich red leaves to crinkly savoy leaves and some with contrasting stems and veins that are decorative enough to plant in a flower garden.
Break up a section of garden in full to partial sun with a hoe. When your garden is in a particularly warm microclimate, afternoon shade helps the plant produce longer. The site should not have been used for other Brassica plants -- broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts -- for three years running. Soil used for other cole crops can harbor diseases that can harm the mustard.
Add granular fertilizer with a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium content of 10-20-10 to garden soil with a pH from 6.0 to 7.5. Sprinkle 1 cup of fertilizer per 10-foot row across the soil at planting time and work it into the soil before sowing the mustard seeds.
Sow mustard seed directly in garden soil -- 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart -- when the soil temperature is from 45 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Prime time for sowing mustard in U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 9 and 10 is from February to April for early spring crops and from July through October for fall crops.
Keep well watered until seeds germinate, which takes from four to seven days depending on the temperature.
Thin seedlings to 6 inches to 18 inches apart -- depending on the mature size of the cultivar you plant -- when plants are 3 inches tall. Use the thinnings to add a peppery flavor to salads.
Cover young plants with a floating row cover to avoid damage from flea beetles, whiteflies or aphids.
Keep plants well watered, giving them a good soaking once a week if there is no rain. The flavor of the leaves becomes more intense when the plant does not have enough water and temperatures are high.
Pull weeds by hand or gently with a hoe as they emerge. Avoid damaging or cutting the roots of the mustard with the hoe.
Apply an additional 1/2 cup of fertilizer along the row at the base of the mustard plants. Gently scratch it into the soil with a hoe. The additional nitrogen helps the plants develop their deep color.
Harvest mustard leaves by cutting the outer leaves off at the base as needed. The smaller the leaves the more tender their texture. Plants are usually ready for harvest 35 to 45 days after sowing.
Allow the plants to flower and go to seed if you want to make mustard as a condiment with the plant's seeds. The plant produces a stalk from its center, flowers and forms seedpods after it bolts in warm weather. As the plant's foliage begins to yellow, cut down the seed stalks and pods and hang them in a cool, dry place to mature.
Things You Will Need
- Soil thermometer (optional)
- 10-20-10 fertilizer
- Measuring cup
- Row cover
- Leave space in your row for another planting two weeks after your initial sowing for a longer harvest.
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