Mizuna
Early Mizuna is a traditional Japanese green from the mountainous Kyoto region that brings elegant, feathery foliage and remarkable cold tolerance to spring gardens. This heirloom Brassica reaches harvest in just 40 days, making it one of the quickest greens to mature. Its tender, juicy dark stems stay mild and delicate even after multiple harvests, and the plant's reluctance to bolt means you can cut-and-come-again up to five times from a single sowing. Perfect for cool-season gardening in partial shade, it thrives in temperatures between 55, 70°F.
Flickr user masahiko(Masahiko Satoh)(CC BY 2.0)
Partial Shade
Moderate
?-?
?in H x ?in W
Annual, Biennial
Low
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What sets Early Mizuna apart is its extraordinary cold tolerance during germination and its ability to remain tender through repeated harvests without turning bitter or tough. The long, slender stems are the real treasure here, dark, juicy, and delicate enough to eat raw or barely wilted in a pan. Its rapid 40-day cycle and reluctance to bolt make it an unusually forgiving green for gardeners who want continuous harvests without replanting every few weeks. This is a variety bred over generations in Japan specifically for early spring sowing, and it shows.
Early Mizuna's tender stems and delicate leaves make it equally at home raw in salads, lightly wilted in stir-fries, or as a garnish for soups and seafood dishes. The long stems, the prized part of this variety, work beautifully in Japanese preparations, from traditional sunomono (vinegared salads) to nabemono (hot pot). Its mild, slightly peppery character means you can harvest as micro greens for a delicate finish, as baby leaves for salads, or as mature bunches for cooking. The cut-and-come-again nature means a single planting feeds you repeatedly over weeks rather than a single harvest.
Early Mizuna is well-adapted to early spring sowing and can be direct seeded as soon as soil is workable in spring. Its exceptional cold tolerance at the germination stage means you can sow several weeks before your last frost date, when soil is still quite cool. This early timing is actually a strength—the cool conditions support strong germination and the plant reaches maturity before heat arrives.
Begin harvesting Early Mizuna at the micro or baby-leaf stage around 20, 30 days, or wait until 40 days for mature plants with full stems. The cut-and-come-again method is where this variety truly excels: cut outer stems and leaves at the base, leaving the center to regrow, and you can repeat this harvest up to five times from a single planting. The key indicator that your mizuna is ready is when the feathery leaves have unfurled and the long stems have developed their characteristic dark color and tender texture. Harvest in the morning when stems are most crisp, and the plant's tendency to remain tender even after multiple cuts means you won't get that tough, bitter character that other greens develop with age.
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“Early Mizuna carries the story of mountain farming in Kyoto, Japan, where generations of growers developed this variety to thrive in cool, early-season conditions. This subspecies, Brassica rapa nipposinica, represents centuries of Japanese horticultural refinement, selected specifically for cold tolerance at germination and the ability to stay tender through multiple cuts. Unlike many greens that bolt or toughen with age, this traditional variety was bred to remain harvestable and mild, a trait that made it invaluable to home and market gardeners in Japan's cooler regions. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has preserved this variety, bringing its reliable performance to modern gardeners seeking genuine heirloom genetics with proven results.”