Mustard greens are a hardy leaf vegetable and, according to Gardener’s Path, there are multiple varieties that have originated in Africa, Asia, and the Southern United states. Most mustard plant leaves and stalks are green and leafy, and have a peppery flavor. Mustards grow as small rosettes in Asian varieties, broad leaves in Southern United States varieties, and as large bushels like Ethiopian kale with leaves that grow to 4’ feet tall. Planting mustard greens in your garden will help you add a healthy and tasty food to your fall and winter vegetable garden harvest. They can even be ground and used as a tangy condiment on food.
Mustard greens are a cool-season leaf crop that can also be easily grown in a container, according to SeedtoSpoon. Planting mustard greens is done either from seed or from seedlings. If growing mustards from seed, you can start them outdoors three weeks before the last frost date. If you would like a steadier harvest, plant mustard green seeds about every three weeks to give you a successive harvest. Mustard greens will not grow well in the summer, so you should stop planting seeds a bit before the end of spring and start planting the mustard greens seeds again in midsummer for a fall harvest.
According to Gardener’s Path, there are thirteen incredibly popular international varieties of mustard greens.
- Amara: Ethiopian Kale, open-pollinated, blue-green mustard cultivar that originated in Africa
- Florida Broadleaf: heirloom, open-pollinated mustard variety that is prolific and hardy, a southern favorite that is widely adaptable for growth in northern climates
- Green Wave: popular tender green mustard with a dark green, heavily curled leaf grows to up to two feet and stands straight-up like romaine lettuce
- Kodiak: restorative “green manure” cool season cover crop, which is non-edible, sown after all crops are harvested to rebuild nutrients in the soil and protect against pests for the new planting year
- Mizuna: also known as Japanese mustard greens, grows in bunches from a central stalk with long stems, dark green leaves are smooth, have a glossy surface, and deeply serrated edges, and are feathery in appearance
- Osaka Purple: strong Japanese mustard, with large round leaves that bear purple highlights
- Purple Wave: flavorful microgreens that also bear spectacular purple highlights, leaves are small rounded light purple with frilly edges
- Red Giant: large Japanese variety with deep purple-red leaves and a strong sharp, garlic-like, mustard flavor
- Red Tatsoi: also known as Rosette Bok Choy and features rosy-bronze leaves on the upper side, and bright green on the lower side
- Rosette Tatsoi: Asian with very dark green spoon-shaped leaves with contrasting white stems that grow into 1 foot wide, low to the ground rosettes
- Tendergreen: known as "spinach mustard", "Tendergreen" is an American heirloom mustard variety with a mild flavor that can be prepared just like spinach and has the same texture as spinach when cooked
- Tokyo Bekana: Asian variety that tastes like lettuce, but is often called cabbage and features bright lime green leaves that have ruffled margins with slender white stalks
- Wasabi: Japanese with light green deeply serrated leaves, of no relation to the Wasabi used as a sushi condiment, and grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan