Vegetables for the Backyard Farm - Backyard Farming: On an Acre - page 107

Mustard ( Brassica juncea )
India mustard is grown for the delicious and nutritious leaves. I love adding chopped mustard to
our stews in the winter to help boost the overall vitamins we are consuming during the times we
have fewer fresh fruits and vegetables coming from the garden. High in vitamins K and A, mustard
is also high in calcium and iron.
From seed-sowing to maximum harvest is about 12 weeks but you can begin cutting leaves within
just a few weeks. Seeds will not sprout when temperatures drop below 45°F and should be planted
1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 inch deep, much like lettuce. Plant mustard about 12 inches apart and you'll find this
plant a carefree, easy-to-grow addition to your fall garden.
As with lettuce, drought will cause the mustard plants to turn bitter and sharp. Harvest leaves
around 45 days of maturity so you'll have tender greens. Mustard can be eaten raw, which will have
a more peppery flavor, or steamed lightly to bring out a natural sweetness.
Mustard has fewer pests than lettuce or cabbage, even though it's in the broccoli family, too. If flea
beetles become a problem, try adding a row cover. Club root can develop if you plant mustard in
the same area year after year—so get out that garden journal and rotate your crops (see Chapter 4)!
Japanese Giant Red. This variety has purple-red leaves with green centers, and a strong, sharp
flavor. Good for stir-fries.
Japanese giant mustard, an heirloom variety, has multicolor leaves.
(Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Seeds)
Southern Giant Curled. This heat-tolerant, American mustard has curled and savoyed leaves that
grow upright. Foliage is bright-green and attractive.
Tendergreen. A quick-maturing mustard, the tendergreen has deep-green, glossy-looking leaves.