I’m a huge fan of mustard. There are few snacks I enjoy more than pretzels dipped in a delicious honey mustard. I love it on sandwiches and as an ingredient in all sorts of things from chicken dishes to potato salad. Mustard is simply awesome. That’s my opinion anyway. It’s also extremely easy to grow mustard in the garden.
How to Grow Mustard in the Home Vegetable Garden
A couple weeks ago I planted a row of ‘Giant Red’ Mustard from seeds in one of my raised beds. There are several varieties of mustard which give you various colors depending on the variety. Giant Red Mustard has the botanical name Brassica juncea which will make a spicy mustard if harvested for the seeds.
Mustard leaves are great to eat and have a sweet, tangy flavor. The leaves are great in fall garden salads mixed with lettuce, spinach, and kale. Mustard matures in about 40 days but can be eaten at any point.
Planting Mustard Seed
I planted my row of mustard seed in a raised bed after clearing out the tomato plants this fall. I made a very slight trench and sprinkled seeds along the trench. Then I came back and covered with just a small amount of soil. After a little watering the seeds germinated in about a week.
The seeds were sown about 1/2 inch deep then covered. Mustard seeds will self sow readily if allowed to so the exact depth is not critical.
The most important part of sowing mustard (as well as many other seeds) seeds in the garden is to keep the soil moist until germination. Once the seeds are planted they need consistent daily watering. As long as the mustard seeds do not dry out they should germinate very well.
The Mustard Family (Brassica)
Mustard belongs to the mustard (Brassica) family of vegetables. Other members of the mustard family include Brussels sprouts, pak choy, cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, turnips, and kohlrabi. The brassicas tend to be frost tolerant and make great choices for planting in the fall or the spring for you garden.
Collecting Mustard Seed
If mustard is allowed to flower (bolt) it will produce seeds. The seeds form in small elongated pods that contain quite a few seeds in each one. The seeds will be brown, tan, yellow, or black in color. Those seeds can be harvested and used to plant new crops of mustard or can be used to make actual mustard for your kitchen.
Mustard is a simple and easy crop to grow. Do you grow mustard? For the seed or for the leaves?
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I recently bought some organic mustard greens from a fellow organic gardener. Oh my goodness! They are fabulous steamed with a little olive oil. Just the right zest!
Going to grow them in 2014!