Brassica juncea & Brassica rapa

Mild and sweet enough for salads
Thin, light green, feathery leaves
Will grow under low light conditions
Open-pollinated seeds
Matures in 45 days

Mild and sweet enough for salads, the thin, light-green, feathery leaves are deeply-cut but not curled. Plants grow vigorously so thin to at least 20cm (8"). Cut the whole plant about an inch above the ground and it will re-grow or pick individual leaves. Mizuna mustard seeds can be planted for cut and come again harvests, or grow to full size. Plant in late summer and provide frost protection - it will grow even under low light conditions. Note that it will bolt in April if overwintered. Mizuna works well in containers, and makes excellent, fast-growing microgreens and baby leaf salad greens.

Approx 590 Seeds

Mustards are cool season plants that grow quickly and then bolt. Direct sow with frost protection as early as February or without protection from early March to the end of May. Sowing short rows every 3 weeks allows for a continuous harvest of both baby leaves and full sized plants. Sow in September for late fall and winter harvests. Optimal soil temperature: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

If growing to full size, sow 3-4 seeds in each spot you want a plant to grow. Sow 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep and thin to the strongest plant, spaced 10-15cm (4-6″) in the row. All mustards can be grown in containers for baby salad greens. Sow these as you would mesclun mixes, with seeds spaced as near as possible to 1cm (½”) apart.

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. One cup of complete organic fertilizer will provide nutrition for 3m (10′) of row. Water regularly. Expect mustards to bolt in hot weather. Provide protection in winter by using a cloche or heavy row cover. At all other times, plan on growing fast and harvesting fast, like spinach. Planting short rows every two weeks works best for the home garden for a constant harvest.

Cut individual leaves, or the whole plant at whatever stage of maturity you desire. Young leaves tend to be more tender and less powerfully flavoured as mature leaves. Some varieties will develop a slight bitterness in fully mature leaves. The leaves can be blanched (or run through a food processor) and then frozen, or even dried and flaked for soup mixes. But the plants are so cold hardy, fresh leaves should be available to the determined gardener 12 months of the year.

In optimal conditions at least 70% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 400 seeds, per acre: 174M seeds.

Diseases & Pests

Slugs and woodlice (sow bugs) may nibble young seedlings, but overall, these plants are trouble free. Keep the garden free from debris and excess water, where both of these pests like to go during the day. If leaves show lots of tiny holes, flea beetles are the problem. Prevent early spring infestations by using lightweight row cover.

1g (Approx. 687 Seeds)

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