Crop Rotation Group
Brassicas (Cabbage family)
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Soil
Fertile, well drained soil.
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Position
Full sun to partial afternoon shade.
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Frost tolerant
Mustard is cool-season annual that can tolerate light frosts but not hard freezes.
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Feeding
None generally needed, because mustard is customarily used as a late summer/autumn cover crop to take up nitrogen left in the soil by sweet corn or other vegetables.
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Companions
Mustard does an excellent job of suppressing weeds when grown in a solid mass.
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Spacing
Single Plants: 15cm (5") each way (minimum)
Rows: 15cm (5") with 15cm (5") row gap (minimum)
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Sow and Plant
Sow in late summer to use mustard as a short-term autumn green manure. Broadcast seed into cultivated soil so that the seeds are about 5 cm (2in) apart and 1 cm (1/2 in) deep. Thin to 15 cm (6in) apart in all directions.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
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Notes
You can gather individual leaves for cooking, which taste best after the first frost has passed. Mustard residue suppresses soil-borne nematodes, so it is an excellent green manure to grow before potatoes.
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Harvesting
Chop down the green foliage with a hoe and turn it under just before hard freezes are expected. The mustard roots and foliage will rot during the winter months.
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Troubleshooting
Irrigation is often needed to get a good stand if autumn is dry.
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