CHINESE CONTAINER GARDENS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 193

Germinate the seeds indoors; unlike the plant, the seeds like it warm and cozy. Soak
overnight in warm water and plant the next morning 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart; thin
to 4 inches apart.
Mustard Greens, page 11
Brassica juncea
Chinese mustard makes an attractive container plant. The leaves of some varieties are
deeply cut, others are beautifully curled, and red-stemmed varieties are colorful. Grow
several varieties together, or group several plants flower pots, each with a different vari-
ety, for a pretty windowsill or terrace.
Chinese mustard doesn't take up much room. You can grow a single plant in a
4-inch pot. They combine well in a container with vegetables like beets or radishes, as
well as with herbs of all kinds. Or plant a “mess” of greens — spinach, Swiss chard,
and so on, all together.
You can grow them indoors under lights all winter; they will do very well, especially
in a cool room. One thing that won't work is growing them on a city rooftop in mid-
summer without shade; they don't like heat.
Sow seeds ½ inch deep and about 2 inches apart. Thin and eat every other one. If
you need just a few leaves to spike a salad, take the outer ones. Harvest whole plants by
cutting them about three-quarters of the way down; each plant will send up new leaves
(especially if you give it some fertilizer).
Mizuna, page 14
Brassica napa nipposinica
Because it grows quickly and can be harvested at any stage (like lettuce), mizuna is a
particularly good vegetable for the container garden. It has beautiful light green foliage,
distinctive and attractive. It will grow back after cutting or can be cropped a few leaves
at a time. A few crops can be grown in one season, or it can make way for another ve-
getable.