How to Grow Mustard Greens

On this page
  1. Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Mustard Greens planting
  10. Growing Mustard Greens in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Mustard greens are ready to harvest 25–50 days after planting.

Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) — annual.

3 diseases and 5 pests are documented for this crop, so a fair share of growing it well is prevention.

The short answer

Ready in
25–50 days
Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–6.5
Biggest risk
Brassica downy mildew

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea)

A young mustard greens plant growing in grass — “Brassica juncea kz01” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also known as: brown mustard, Chinese mustard · 11 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

A bushy mustard greens plant with broad crinkled leaves
A bushy mustard greens plant with broad crinkled leaves. Photo: “Starr-150328-0812-Brassica juncea-habit-South Central Eastern Island-Midway Atoll (24973647990)” by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 6.5
Sunlight 6-6 hours direct sun
Optimal growing temp 15-28°C
Minimum survivable temp 0°C
Time to harvest 25-50 days
Drainage Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; moist but well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts leaves, stems, flowers, developing seed pods

At a Glance

Close-up of crinkled mustard green leaves
Close-up of crinkled mustard green leaves. Photo: “Starr-150403-1408-Brassica juncea-leaves-Southeast Eastern Island-Midway Atoll (24982012140)” by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us.
Brassica juncea Mustard Greens Brassica downy mildew White blister Club root Flea beetles Cabbage root fly (US: c… Cabbage caterpillars Slugs Mealy cabbage aphid DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

A botanical specimen of Brassica juncea var. juncea
A botanical specimen of Brassica juncea var. juncea. Photo: “Brassica juncea var. juncea” by Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Brassica downy mildew

Hyaloperonospora brassicae (syn. Peronospora parasitica)

White blister

Albugo candida

Plasmodiophora brassicae

Pests

Mustard greens plant in flower with small yellow blooms
Mustard greens plant in flower with small yellow blooms. Photo: “Starr-150328-0559-Brassica juncea-flowers-Eastern Island-Midway Atoll (25175596511)” by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us.
Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)

Delia radicum

Cabbage caterpillars

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Mealy cabbage aphid

Brevicoryne brassicae

Soil & Growing Conditions

A bushy mustard greens plant with broad crinkled leaves
A bushy mustard greens plant with broad crinkled leaves. Photo: “Starr-150328-0812-Brassica juncea-habit-South Central Eastern Island-Midway Atoll (24973647990)” by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us.

Soil pH range

6 6.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

A young mustard greens plant growing in grass
A young mustard greens plant growing in grass. Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Sow 0.5-1cm deep directly outdoors, or start in modules/seedtrays, from early spring to late summer (RHS, Johnny's Selected Seeds).
Seedling establishment 1 Thin to 20cm apart for full-sized plants, or leave closer (about 3cm) for a baby-leaf crop; transplant module-raised seedlings once they reach 5-6 leaves (RHS).
Leaf growth and baby-leaf harvest window 3 Baby leaves can be cut from as little as 21 days; keep well watered through summer to keep flavour from turning too fiery (RHS).
Full-size bunching maturity 5 Cut when greens reach full size, about 12-18in (30-45cm), typically around 45 days from sowing (Johnny's Selected Seeds).

Harvest & Storage

Close-up of crinkled mustard green leaves
Close-up of crinkled mustard green leaves. Photo: “Starr-150403-1408-Brassica juncea-leaves-Southeast Eastern Island-Midway Atoll (24982012140)” by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us.

When to pick: Cut-and-come-again leafy crop; mustards reach maturity between 25 and 50 days from sowing depending on cultivar

Plan your Mustard Greens planting

Timing for Mustard Greens follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Mustard Greens in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

  1. Sow 1/4-1/2in deep, in rows 18-24in apart, at 15 seeds per foot for bunching varieties. Sow from early spring to late summer for a continuous supply. Cut when greens reach full size (12-18in). Control flea beetles with floating row covers applied at sowing.

These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 11 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension, FAO EcoCrop, Johnny's Selected Seeds and others) is in the references of our UK guide to mustard greens; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do mustard greens take to grow?

Typically 25–50 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH do mustard greens need?

A pH of about 6–6.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect mustard greens?

Our data links 3 diseases and 5 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Last verified 2026-09-02

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This guide in another region
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