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Chinese Mustard is a cool-season annual that brings authentic Asian mustard greens to your garden, ready to harvest in 60 to 69 days. This Brassica juncea has been cultivated for food across Europe and Asia for hundreds of years, giving rise to the diverse range of mustard greens beloved in eastern Asian cuisines. It grows as a compact rosette reaching 12 to 18 inches tall and wide, with a distinctive mustard flavor that deepens in cooler weather. Sow directly in early spring or fall, space 6 inches apart, and you'll have thick, tender greens perfect for stir-fries, salads, or braising.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
18in H x 18in W
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Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Chinese Mustard delivers authentic mustard flavor with a compact, efficient growth habit that thrives in cool seasons. The variety shows good disease resistance and adapts well across a wide range of growing conditions, even tolerating light shade alongside full sun exposure. Its thick petioles and large wrapping leaves create a substantial harvest from minimal garden space, while the fast 60 to 69 day timeline means you can plant it twice in a single season, especially in fall when the flavor truly shines.
Chinese Mustard is harvested for its peppery, pungent greens, which work beautifully in stir-fries, braises, and soups where their bold flavor stands up to bold seasonings. The tender leaves and thick stems can be eaten raw in salads when young and tender, or cooked down as a hearty green. Many gardeners time their fall plantings specifically to enjoy the deepened mustard flavor that develops in cool weather, making it a natural fit for autumn and winter harvest calendars.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
For spring planting, sow seeds in peat pots 6 to 7 weeks before your frost-free date. Transplant seedlings outdoors when they reach 4 to 5 weeks old, allowing them to mature before warm weather triggers bolting.
Transplant seedlings into rich garden soil spaced 15 to 20 inches apart (or 6 inches for denser greens harvests). Set them out when 4 to 5 weeks old in cool-season conditions.
Sow seeds directly in the ground in early spring (or fall, when this variety truly excels) at a depth of 3/4 inch to 1 inch, spacing seeds 3/4 inch to 1 inch apart with 2 feet between rows. Thin seedlings to 4 to 6 inches apart once they emerge.
Harvest as soon as the first heads begin to feel firm, typically 60 to 69 days after sowing. You can take outer leaves individually as the plant matures, or harvest the entire head when it reaches full size. For tender greens, harvest younger plants; for more substantial stems and petioles, allow plants to develop fully before cutting.
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“Brassica juncea, commonly called Chinese mustard or brown mustard, is native to southern and eastern Asia and has been cultivated for food across Europe and Asia for hundreds of years. This ancient crop diversified dramatically over centuries, giving rise to a remarkable family of leaf vegetables that remain little known in Europe but remain popular staples throughout eastern Asia, including Japanese mizuna and various Chinese mustard greens. In spring and fall gardens across Asia, this plant has long been prized for its reliable, flavorful harvests of mustard greens, a tradition that continues today.”