Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds grow into Brassica juncea, a leaf mustard prized for its bold, peppery bite that mellows when leaves are picked young and tender. The crisp, lightly frilled green foliage adds a warm, mildly hot kick to fresh salads, stir-fries and traditional pickles, and the plant grows quickly enough to deliver several cuttings from a single sowing. As a fast cool-season green, it rewards Egyptian home growers with flavour-packed leaves in just a few weeks.

Planting

Choose a full-sun spot, ideally facing south or west, with deep, fertile, well-drained yet consistently moist soil at pH 6.0-7.5. Sow seed directly about 0.6-1.3 cm deep. As a cool-season crop, mustard grows best around 15-20°C; in Egypt sow from mid-September to February, when germination takes 3-7 days. Avoid May-September heat, which forces bolting and bitterness.

Fertilizing

Before sowing, work aged compost or well-rotted manure into the bed. Because this is a leafy crop, feed a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 every 3-4 weeks, and side-dress with aged compost at mid-season. Nitrogen drives the lush leaf growth that makes the tenderest, mildest greens.

Care

Thin seedlings to 10-20 cm apart, rows 30-40 cm apart; eat the thinnings as baby leaves. Keep soil evenly moist with about 2.5 cm of water weekly to keep leaves tender and delay bolting. Watch for aphids, flea beetles and cabbageworms, and guard against downy mildew. Harvest leaves at 7-10 cm, about 30-50 days after sowing, before flowering.