Red Giant Mustard Seeds

Days to Maturity: 20 to 40

At last, a mustard green so showy it just may do for this nutritious family what Bright Lights did for Swiss chard—put it in every garden and on every table of gardeners who love bold colors and fresh flavor in their veggies. Red Giant is a brilliant maroon with deep green midribs, so showy you may just have to plant two crops—one in the veggie patch and one along the walkway or in your annual border.

These leaves are slightly textured for a better bite and good holding power. The flavor is zesty and full, with a good bite that you just can't find in store-bought mustard greens. Imagine Red Giant flanking your pansies and cheery mums in the fall garden, or nestling beside bold ornamental cabbage and kale. Or put it in bright containers for an unforgettable patio or porch display.

Because you pick this mustard leaf by leaf for eating (instead of uprooting the entire plant, as you do for head lettuce), you can enjoy the fine display of color for many weeks. Frost just improves the flavor and color.

Sow seed outdoors in early spring or, for fall crops, 6 to 8 weeks before first fall frost. Space seedlings 1 to 2 inches apart in rows 15 inches apart.

From farmers' markets and supermarkets to gourmet restaurants and backyard gardens, Leafy Greens (Lettuce, Mustard, Spinach, and Collards) are popular for their various textures, sweet or pungent flavors, beautiful colors, and nutritional value. They're versatile and fast growing, can be harvested at most any stage, are delicious raw or cooked, and in warmer climates can be grown year-round. For flavor, beauty, nutrition, and ease of cultivation, you can't beat the numerous, wonderful varieties of Lettuce and Greens!

Choosing a Lettuce Variety

There's a world of terrific options when it comes to choosing which types of Lettuce and Greens to grow. These versatile veggies come in all shades of green and red, offer flavors from sweet to pungent, and provide a delightful range of textures, from crunchy to tender and smooth to frilly. And best of all, each one is easy to grow, great for beginning gardeners, and completely scrumptious!

When to Start Lettuce Seeds

Lettuce and Greens are best started outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring or late summer (for a fall crop). For those living in zones 8 and warmer, sow your seeds in early fall for a winter harvest.

As long as the temperature stays below 80 degrees F, you can keep making successive sowings -- every two weeks is typical -- to extend your harvest. As summer approaches, however, you will want to plant varieties that tolerate heat and resist bolting (producing flowers and seeds too soon).

If you choose to sow your seeds indoors, do so 4 weeks before planting out, at a temperature of 65 to 68 degrees F. Expect germination in 7 to 10 days.

How to Start Lettuce Seeds

Leafy Greens prefer fertile, well-drained soil, so before planting add compost or manure. This will provide important nutrients and improve drainage.

They will produce in light shade but grow the best in areas with full sun exposure.

Seeds should be scattered in a row and covered lightly with soil. Keep the soil moist until they germinate.

Special Considerations

• Leafy Greens can be harvested at almost any stage of growth. If you want“baby ”Greens, pick the leaves after 3 or 4 weeks of growth.
  
• If growing your plants to full size, adequate spacing is essential. There needs to be 8 to 10 inches between mature plants.
  
  
• Lettuce and Greens will often bolt if the temperatures get too high. If this happens, remove and compost the plant, as the leaves will be bitter and inedible.

Growing Tips for Lettuce and Leafy Greens

• Thin crowded seedlings once the seeds germinate and begin to grow. Just pinch them at the base of the stem or snip them with scissors. Don't throw them away, though, as these thinnings are quite good in salads and sandwiches.
  
• Pots and containers are an excellent way to grow your Leafy Greens. Containers need to be at least 4 to 6 inches deep. Use a soilless medium, checking it every day to be sure it hasn't dried out. Water as needed.
  
• When harvesting you can take the entire plant or remove only the amount of leaves you want. Take those at the base of the plant, starting with the outer ones. New leaves will continue to grow from the center.
  
• If you're harvesting the whole plant remove it by pulling it out of the ground or by cutting it off at ground level.
  
• Although Leafy Greens are best eaten fresh they can be stored in your refrigerator's vegetable crisper for a day or two. Some can be kept a bit longer -- Lettuce, Collards, and Mustard Greens tend to stay fresh from 3 days to a week.
  
• Store your Leafy Greens in a plastic bag after removing any soil or damaged leaves. Wash thoroughly with cold water before eating.

Pests and Problems to Watch For

• Lettuce and Greens don't tend to have problems with pests as they grow quickly, often in cooler weather when insects are less likely to be active. You still need to regularly check them for pests, however, to prevent a small problem from becoming a disaster.
  
• Do not use chemical pesticides since you will be eating the leaves. Instead, remove pests with your hands or wash them off with a stream of water.
  
• Encourage the presence of beneficial bugs such as ladybugs, lacewings, and other“good bugs ”that prey on aphids and mites.
• Grow your Leafy Greens in well-drained, fertile soil, and allow good spacing. This will prevent most diseases.
  
• Spinach can be susceptible to downy mildew (Blue mold). This is a fungal disease that produces slightly yellow lesions on the top of the leaves and purplish sporulation (small spores) on the underside. The best way to prevent this is to space the plants far enough apart they receive good air circulation, and when watering, wet the ground not the foliage.
  
• Rotate your Spinach crops each year to prevent soil-borne diseases.

View All Know Before You Grow Topics

Mustard Germination Information

• It is a cool season crop that is best sown outdoors when the soil is cool in the spring or fall
• Sow in early spring and make successive sowings, one 3-4 weeks later; sow again 6-8 weeks before first frost in the fall
• In Zones 8 and warmer, sow in the fall for winter use
• Seeds can also be sown indoors at 68-72°
• Indoors and out, sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds and expect germination in 3-10 days
• It is about 40 days from sowing to harvesting
• When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed

These 10-12 inch tall plants grow as basal rosettes of leaves and look much like spinach. They have a peppery tang and are cooked as winter greens. Brassica juncea var. crispifolia, Mustard, has cut, curled, crisp, and pungent-tasting leaves. Brassica rapa, Perviridis Group, Tendergreen or Spinach Mustard, has smooth, thick, glossy, dark green leaves that are less pungent. Harvest the outer leaves as they mature, but when they are still tender. They should be 3-4 inches long

Superior Germination Through Superior Science

First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.

Superior Standards - University Inspected

Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians

When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.

The Park Seed Gold Standard

Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).

Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.