Growing mustard for greens

[Shule]

So, I've never grown mustard before, unless you count Mizuna (which is about the size of arugula, which is to say, very small).

For other mustards, besides Mizuna, how big do the plants get? How far apart do they need to be spaced? Can't I harvest the leaves at any stage of maturity? I'm thinking even if they get huge, I can just harvest and/or prune them before they become a problem, instead of worrying about space allocation.

Here are some examples of the sorts of mustards I mean:
https://www.rareseeds.com/store/plants- ... tard-seeds

[maxjohnson]

It depends on variety. I'd say on average 1ft apart. There are variety that can get quite big, but you might want to harvest them earlier because they'll be more tender and less spicey. What I would recommend is to plant them 6 inches apart and harvest the ones in between as they get bigger, so to allow more space between the remaining plants. Where I am because the temperature fluctuate too much, I don't grow mustard during spring because they bolt fast. More even temperature is more ideal, so I save them for later in the season.

My favorite variety is Tokyo Berkana because its not spicey and more tender, unlike what Johnny Seeds claims its not hybrid, maybe their version are, but it's open pollinated.

[Tormato]

Generally speaking, there are mild mustards and hot mustards, most being grown for eating the leaves. There are a few specialty ones, grown for eating the flowering stalks.

Some of the non-hot ones are sweet like cabbage. With the hot ones, there are degrees of heat, where only the youngest leaves are used from the hottest varieties. Usually, the older the leaves, the hotter the taste.

If growing out for seed, a 2 ft X 2 ft, or a bit larger, area might be needed.

[pepperhead212]

I just harvested one today, from the hydro - something I got twice as a gift packet from Baker's - Wasabina mustard greens. It's a relatively mild flavored one, like the mizuna, not the hot type, that will affect your sinuses. And it grows fairly fast, and is a "cut and come again" type, like most of them. Not as bolt resistant outside as many others, though inside it keeps growing, as well as I keep cutting it. Outside, 1-1½' will probably be good for the ones like komatsuna. Komastuna is another good type, that is mild - most are fairly bolt resistant, but some are grown more for cold resistance, so you have to check the source. The most bolt resistant types I have ever grown are hybrids of komatsuna - Senposai, which is komatsuna x cabbage, and Misome, which is komatsuna x tatsoi, both of which I have had grow well into August, through many 90+ days, before bolting. And all these can be harvested by cutting the largest perimeter leaves, and leaving the center, and it keeps growing, like leaf lettuce. These are larger types, best 1½-2' apart, esp. the senposai.
What's left in the hydro after I harvested the greens, for the soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Wasabina mustard greens, from hydroponics, for adding to the the Navy beans and ham soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

One of the huge Senposai leaves. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Slugs are one thing I have to watch for all the time, and one season I had some senposai destroyed overnight by cabbage butterfly caterpillars. So sometimes I cover them with Agribon, if growing a lot.

[DriftlessRoots]

Komastuna is another good type, that is mild - most are fairly bolt resistant, but some are grown more for cold resistance, so you have to check the source.

This is good to know since I got this as a a freebie from Baker Creek and am trying it out knowing nothing about it.

[karstopography]

I grow various mostly brown type mustards (could be red or green leafed) for ornamental cool season vegetables as a cover crop and a soil conditioner. I really don’t eat them, though. I will nibble on the leaves a bit as I pass by them in the garden and they are often very spicy or pungent. I have japanese red Mizuna going to seed currently, it’s pretty mild when the weather is cooler and it isn’t flowering. Even flowering, it isn’t too spicy. I might try to save some seed. The bees like the flowers.

These mustards in general get big. Could be close to 2’ in diameter. I generally overseed them and they will be all packed onto each other. I want to pickle some someday. There’s some that have a growth like kohlrabi and others that have unusual thick and broad stems. Pretty varied and I get a sense mustards are way more utilized in Asia than anywhere else.