Growing Mustard

Mustard is a versatile vegetable to add to your garden. Grow this hearty leaf veggie for soups and salads or save the seeds as a spice for many recipes.

Mustard is a versatile vegetable to add to your garden. Grow this hearty leaf veggie for soups and salads or save the seeds as a spice for many recipes.

Mustard is a cool-season vegetable that can be planted after the last spring frost and again in mid-summer. Although mustard greens are often thought of as Southern food, the vegetable will grow in any area of the country.

Plant mustard by seed 1/2 inch deep and thin seedlings to 3 to 5 inches apart. Use thinnings as an addition to salads. Water and fertilize during dry periods. Mustard will grow quickly and won’t stop until the weather stops it. Leaves can be harvested at any time, and you can harvest either individual leaves or the whole plant. Younger leaves have a milder flavor, and late-season older leaves can be thicker and bitter.

If you are growing mustard for seeds, allow the plant to flower at the end of the growing season. Clip off the seed stems and pods when they begin to turn yellow, but before they dry out. Dry the pods in a paper bag for one to two weeks, until the pods split and spill out the seeds. Keep the dried seeds in an airtight container for use as a spice or to grow more mustard.