Amara is a flavorful dark green mustard that delivers genuine heat and complexity in just 21 days from seed to harvest. This open-pollinated Brassica carinata grows as a compact bush, making it surprisingly easy to manage in containers or tight garden spaces. The leaves reach a harvestable 3 to 6 inches quickly, and because it's a cut-and-come-again variety, a single sowing keeps producing tender new growth throughout the season. Whether you're chasing spicy greens for salads or braising them down for depth, Amara rewards patient gardeners with repeated harvests from the same plant.
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Moderate
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Moderate
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At just 21 days to first harvest, Amara delivers speed without sacrificing flavor, developing the deep, peppery character mustard lovers crave. The cut-and-come-again harvest method means you'll be picking from the same plant for weeks, getting fresh leaves every 5 to 14 days depending on season and growing conditions. Its bush habit keeps the plant neat and manageable, while the dark green coloring signals nutrient density and robust flavor.
Amara's assertive mustard flavor makes it a natural choice for raw salads where you want real bite and personality, but it truly shines when sautéed or braised. The leaves wilt down dramatically, concentrating their spicy character into a side dish that pairs beautifully with rich proteins or grains. Some gardeners add it to stir-fries or braise it Southern-style with aromatics for a sharper alternative to milder greens.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow Amara in garden soil or containers, spacing seeds according to your desired leaf size at harvest. For baby leaves at 3 inches, closer spacing works fine; for larger leaves at 5 to 6 inches, thin to accommodate the mature plant's spread.
Begin harvesting when leaves reach your preferred size, typically 3 to 6 inches, which happens around 21 days from sowing. Use a sharp knife to cut individual leaves or entire plants, cutting just above the basal plate (the point where leaves emerge from the soil) to encourage cut-and-come-again regrowth. Return to harvest fresh leaves every 5 to 14 days depending on season and growing conditions; cooler weather slows regrowth, while warmth speeds it up. Keep cutting before plants flower to maintain tender leaf texture and milder flavor.
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