Mustard seeds are one of the most common spices that are used in things like preserves and pickles to add flavor and character. So if you use lots of them you may be wondering whether it is possible to grow your own mustard seeds at home using the seeds from the grocery store.
Mustard seeds purchased from your local grocery store will grow readily in the garden provided that you give the seeds the right conditions to grow. Mustard plants are a member of the brassica family and are relatively tolerant of cold temperatures and perform best when grown in Spring and Autumn.
Mustard plants have several different uses in both the kitchen and the garden. Mustard plants can be grown to produce leafy greens that can be eaten in a salad or cooked alternatively the plants can be allowed to flower to produce the seeds which are used as spices and herbs.
These seeds can be used whole as a spice in dishes or the seeds can be ground up and used as a powder to produce mustard (sauce).
However, in the garden mustard plants are also very helpful for use as green manure because they will enrich the quality of the soil while fumigating it. The reason is that when the mustard plants are dug back into the soil to rot down to add nutrients they produce gases that will kill many pathogens that naturally live in the soil so it is an extremely useful plant whether you are growing it for food or fertility.
Does It Matter If Mustard Seeds Are Yellow Or Black?
While the mustard seeds that you can purchase in the grocery store are traditionally yellow you can also sometimes get black or brown seeds as well, So does it matter whether you plant black or yellow seeds and what exactly is the difference?
It doesn’t matter whether it is black or yellow seeds you will get a mustard plant if you plant them in the garden, however, the reason that there are different colored seeds is that there are three common species of mustard plant which are commonly used to produce spices.
The first of these species is Sinapis alba, which is a plant that produces mild-flavored white/yellow mustard seeds that are native to Africa, the Mediterranean, and Asia. The second variety which is sometimes referred to as oriental mustard (Brassica juncea) originated in India and produces Brown seeds and the third variety which produces the hottest seeds, (Brassica nigra) has black colored seeds.
How To Grow Mustard Seeds
As mentioned earlier in the article mustard seeds are relatively easy to grow and they will germinate relatively quickly. The plants themselves do best in the cooler weather of spring or autumn as hot weather will result in the plant bolting very rapidly. As a result of this most people that grow mustard plants typically sow the seeds in either late Winter or late summer.
The seeds themselves can either be planted directly in the garden which is typically done when you are using them as green manure for increasing fertility or they can be planted into seed trays which is commonly done if you are growing the plant for a crop of either greens or seeds.
The main benefits of planting seeds in a seed tray are that in winter you can get the plants off to a more rapid start because it is easier to control the climatic conditions in which the seeds grow and in summer the main benefit is that you can reduce the time that they spend in the garden which is important at that time of year because usually there are many other crops that you are growing.
Irrespective of the time of year that you are planting the seeds it is best to start by filling the seed tray with a good quality seed-raising mix. The soil should be firmed into the individual cells within the seed tray as that will make it easier to transplant seedlings later on.
When planning the seeds it is best to put two or three seeds in each cell at a depth of approximately half an inch to ensure that you get at least one plant coming up in each and every cell to take full advantage of the space that you have. If more than one seedling comes up, remove the weaker seedlings.
Once the seeds have been planted they will typically take 7 to 14 days to appear in the seed tray and will typically need to spend 4 to 6 weeks in the seed tray before they can be planted out into the garden. During this period it is important to ensure that the seed tray remains constantly moist.
The easiest way to do this is to place the seed trays in another tray of water that is approximately half an inch deep. This will be sufficient to keep the trays moist and reduce the need to water them every single day.
Transplanting Mustard Seedlings
Once the mustard plants have reached a reasonable size, typically 3 to 4 inches they will be large enough to plant out into the garden. Mustard plants can be grown in either full sun or part shade. If you plant in full sun the plants will generally grow faster so this is advantageous for the production of seeds. However, if you want to slow the rate of growth and have mustard greens available for a longer period of time planting in part shade is preferable.
The plants should ideally be spaced approximately 10 inches apart in rich, moist, and free-draining soil with plenty of nutrients. To ensure that the soil remains moist and weed-free it is also recommended that a layer of mulch be applied around the plant that is approximately 2 to 4 inches thick.
As the plants are leafy greens they will be susceptible to attack from slugs and snails early on and therefore will need to have snail bait sprinkled around them to provide some degree of protection.
Mustard greens will typically take anywhere between 80 to 100 days to reach maturity, however, the length of time that you need to grow the plants will be dependent upon your specific purpose.
If you are growing a plant as a green manure typically they can be cut down to the ground once the plants reach a reasonable height usually after around 60 to 70 days in the ground, though the timing of the harvest is not absolutely critical but is best to do it before the plants begin to flower to reduce any chances of self-seeding the following season.
Once the plants have been cut down they can be dug back into the soil and left for a few weeks before you plant the next crop in the garden.
If you are planting mustard plants to harvest the greens it is recommended that you pick the leaves as soon as they reach a reasonable size which again will typically be around 60 to 70 days and possibly a little bit later. If you harvest early enough it will provide the opportunity to get two or three harvests in before the plant bolts.
To reduce the recovery time between harvests it is best to remove only a few leaves from each plant to allow it to continue to grow uninterrupted.
Finally, if you are growing a plant for the purposes of collecting the seeds then you need to allow the plant to bolt. To speed this process up it is best to plant it in the full sun and reduce the watering as the plant is approaching maturity as this will encourage it to bolt more rapidly.
Once the plants produce their yellow flowers you simply have to wait until the seeds mature which typically is around the period in which the flowers are dying back and then harvest them before removing the plant.
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