VegetableMustard green
Red Giant Mustard
Leaf Mustard
Red Giant Mustard transforms your garden with its stunning burgundy-variegated leaves that grow up to 10 inches long, creating a bold splash of color in the cool-season garden. This hardy Japanese heirloom thrives across zones 2-10, reaching 12-24 inches tall in just 45-60 days while delivering a perfect balance of peppery heat and tangy bite. Unlike ordinary greens, this slow-bolting variety maintains its mild flavor through cool weather and can even overwinter in warmer regions, giving you beautiful crimped leaves from spring through late fall.
Photo © True Leaf Market(https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/mustard-red-giant-organic-seeds)
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam
Preferred Temp60-75°F
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
8 in
Width
PeriodAnnual
TypeLeafy
Spacing
12-18 inches apart
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-10
Size
24in H x 8in W
Growth
Annual
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
What makes Red Giant truly special is its dramatic burgundy coloring streaked with bright green, creating leaves so beautiful they're almost too pretty to harvest. The slow-bolting nature means you get tender, mild-flavored greens for weeks without the bitter rush to seed that plagues other mustards. This disease-resistant variety grows fast yet stays manageable, producing 10-inch leaves that are thin and silky when cooked, with just enough peppery bite to wake up any dish without overwhelming it.
Common Uses
Red Giant Mustard shines in fresh salad mixes where its burgundy color creates stunning contrast with arugula, radicchio, and endive. The young leaves add a gentle peppery zip to sandwiches, while mature leaves become silky and tender when steamed or sautéed, complementing grains beautifully. The seeds can be harvested and ground into condiments or used whole as a spice, and the plant's biofumigant properties make it valuable as a cover crop that revitalizes soil while protecting against pests and diseases.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Early Spring
First Harvest
Mid-spring
Last Harvest
Early Fall
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Not recommended as transplant stress can cause premature bolting
Transplant Outdoors
If starting indoors despite recommendations, transplant 3 weeks before last frost, spacing 12 inches apart
Direct Sow
Sow seeds directly 4-6 weeks before last frost when soil temperature reaches at least 40°F, with successive sowings every 3 weeks for continuous harvest
Harvesting
Begin harvesting baby leaves in as little as 21 days, or wait 45-60 days for full-sized 10-inch leaves with peak burgundy coloring and crimp texture. Cut individual outer leaves to encourage continued growth, or harvest the entire plant. Spring-sown crops should be harvested young before warm weather triggers bolting, while fall crops can be harvested well into winter with protection.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Soil pH Range
6.5 – 7.5
Scientific Classification
Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.
Family
Brassicaceae
Genus
Brassica
Duration
Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit
Forb/herb
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (I)
History & Origin
“Red Giant Mustard carries the heritage of Japanese cuisine, where these distinctive burgundy-streaked leaves have long been prized for their beauty and balanced flavor. As an heirloom variety, it represents generations of careful selection for the perfect combination of visual appeal, slow bolting, and tender texture that made it a staple in Asian gardens.”