15 Mustard Green Varieties You Can Plant Now

As the air turns crisp, the leaves start to change, and your warm-season tomatoes start to look a little sad on the vine, you may want to consider adding a few quick-growing, cool-season crops to your garden bed. Mustard greens come in many varieties jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They taste delicious, bringing a zesty kick to salads, stir fries, and sauteed dishes. They grow incredibly fast, with tender baby leaves ready in just 3-4 weeks. If you’re really impatient, harvest microgreens in just 5-14 days.

To sweeten the deal, mustards are incredibly low-fuss. Between the planting and harvesting dates, mustard greens require little attention from the gardener. Plenty of sun and fertile, well-drained soil will set them up for success. Leafy greens like mustard require plenty of nitrogen to develop their lush foliage. Amend your soil with a healthy dose of compost or give your bed a boost of slow-release, balanced fertilizer prior to planting.

And fall is perfect for planting mustard greens. With soil still warm from the summer, seeds can be sown directly in the garden bed. They’ll germinate quickly, then mature as the cool fall air arrives. While not quite as cold-hardy as kale, mustard greens are very tolerant of a light frost.

There is a veritable buffet of mustard green varieties available to gardeners. From the classic ‘Southern Giant Curled’ to the bold red and green bicolor ‘Ruby Streaks’, there’s a variety out there to suit every taste and gardening style. Read on, and consider adding a mustard green variety (or two) to your garden this fall.

Florida Broadleaf Mustard Greens

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Mustard Seeds

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Mizuna Mustard Seeds

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Red Giant Mustard Greens

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‘Amara’

Technically ‘Amara’ is a mustard, however it is also referred to as Ethiopian kale, Abyssinian mustard, and Texsel greens. This leafy veg has a savory, slightly garlic flavor that tastes wonderful either fresh or cooked.

Dark green, lightly savoyed foliage can be harvested when 12-18 inches long, however this plant can easily grow to be 3 feet tall if left to its own devices. Baby greens can be harvested after just 3 weeks. ‘Amara’ is particularly cold tolerant, making it an excellent leafy green to sneak into the final weeks of gardening season.

‘Chinese Thick-Stem’

An exceptionally cold-hardy mustard green variety, ‘Chinese Thick-Stem’ is ideal for fall, and even winter, growing. It even tolerates heavy, poorly drained soils better than most other mustard green varieties. This is an excellent ‘cut-and-come-again’ variety that regrows quickly for multiple harvests. Named for its wide, crunchy midrib, ‘Chinese Thick-Stem’ has a mild, slightly sweet flavor.

‘Dragon Tongue’

‘Dragon Tongue’ is one of the most stunning mustard greens to grace both the garden and the kitchen. Crinkled, bright green leaves are slightly textured and covered with deep purple veining. Wide midribs provide a nice crunch in salad and stir fry. This green has a sweet mustard flavor with just a hint of spicy heat. ‘Dragon Tongue’ is great for gardeners in warm climates as it is slow to bolt.

‘Florida Broadleaf’

A longtime favorite of gardeners in warm climates, ‘Florida Broadleaf’ is heat tolerant and slow to bolt. This is a productive plant featuring very large, light green foliage with slightly toothed edges. ‘Florida Broadleaf’ has a mild, ever-so-slightly spicy flavor that lends itself to a wide variety of dishes, both cooked and fresh.

‘Gai Choy’

‘Gai Choy‘ is a classic, traditional Chinese mustard green variety with large, curled leaves and wide, white, crunchy stems. This plant forms heads as the leaves mature. The peppery flavor is primarily enjoyed in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese dishes. Cook mature leaves, or harvest and eat Gai Choy fresh in as little as 40 days.

‘Golden Frill’

‘Golden Frill’ has lacy, intensely ruffled foliage in bright chartreuse. The textured, heavily serrated leaves of this variety, combined with its zesty flavor, make it a winner in fresh salads. Harvest baby leaves after 21-25 days or wait 40-50 days for mature leaves.

Pair ‘Golden Frill’ with the red-hued, equally serrated ‘Ruby Streaks’ for an eye-catching salad mix. 

‘Green Wave’

The upright, lime-colored leaves of ‘Green Wave’ make this a popular variety. Baby leaves are flat with softly curled edges, and can be harvested in just 21 days. Mature leaves are heavily serrated and stay tender despite growing 2 feet tall. This variety is slow to bolt and can be sown while temperatures are still warm. ‘Green Wave’ has a zesty, spicy flavor that mellows slightly when cooked.

‘Miz America’

‘Miz America’ is a mizuna-type hybrid featuring rich, wine-colored leaves. Serrated leaves are uniform in size and shape. This variety maintains its eye-catching dark red color well through the season, ideal for market gardeners. Even the cotyledons (first leaves) of ‘Miz America’ emerge a rich reddish-purple, making them a very showy microgreen.

Pair this variety with the classic Mizuna for a beautiful red and green mix of greens. ‘Miz America’ has a mild, pleasant flavor that is neither spicy nor too “mustard-y”.

‘Mizuna’

A traditional Japanese mustard green, ‘Mizuna’ has a mild, peppery flavor that tastes delicious both fresh and cooked. This leafy green is an excellent source of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins A and C. Leaves are long, thin, and highly serrated. ‘Mizuna’ is a prolific grower and rosettes can produce tons of leaves. Plants are compact and easy to grow in containers and raised beds.

‘Mizuna‘ is both tolerant of light frost and very slow to bolt, making it a great veggie for fall planting. Harvest the entire plant or practice “cut-and-come-again” by leaving the lower 2-3 inches of the plant intact. This allows the plant to continue growing and gives gardeners another harvest a few weeks later!

‘Red Giant’

Bold, reddish-purple and green leaves are the hallmark of this showy broadleaf mustard green. ‘Red Giant’ has large, gently savoyed leaves that deepen in color as temperatures drop. Leaves have a mild flavor when young but taste spicy—almost horseradish-like—as they mature. This Japanese mustard green variety can be harvested as a baby leaf after just 3 weeks.

‘Ruby Streaks’

‘Ruby Streaks’ has very fine, lacy leaves that are green and dark maroon in color. The bold red color complements other leafy greens beautifully in salads. Harvest baby leaves in just 3 weeks, or wait a few more weeks for mature leaves. The seedlings of ‘Ruby Streaks’ also make excellent microgreens. Mustard greens can typically be planted in either the spring or fall, but ‘Ruby Streaks’ is at its best as a fall planting; this plant bolts faster than other greens, and the cooler temperatures help intensify the deep red color.

‘Southern Giant Curled’

‘Southern Giant Curled’ is a beloved heirloom variety and was named an All-America Selection in 1935. Popular among gardeners in the South, this mustard green variety resists bolting in warmer temperatures. ‘Southern Giant Curled’ features large, bright green leaves with crumpled edges. This is a prolific plant that produces loads of upright leaves. It has a pungent, ‘classic mustard’ flavor that lends itself to fresh and cooked dishes.

‘Tatsoi’

‘Tatsoi‘ is easy to pick out in a field of greens. This attractive plant is characterized by low-growing rosettes of glossy, dark green leaves. It is short, typically no taller than 12 inches in height at most, and baby leaves can be harvested in just 3-4 weeks. This heirloom green has a mild, delicate flavor that falls somewhere between earthy and mustardy.

‘Tatsoi’ will bolt and taste bitter in warmer temperatures, however, it grows happily in low temperatures and can even be harvested as low as 15°F (-9°C). This cold-tolerant green is the perfect addition to the fall garden.

‘Tendergreen’

‘Tendergreen‘ is well-suited to an early fall planting; seeds germinate quickly when soils are warm and mature leaves sweeten in cooler temperatures. ‘Tendergreen’ has smooth, dark green leaves with light green midribs. Harvest as baby greens or grow plants out to full size. This mild mustard green has a very mellow flavor compared to other varieties, and is an excellent substitute for spinach. 

‘Wasabina’

‘Wasabina’ has extremely frilly, serrated leaves that bring loads of texture to salads and cooked dishes. Leaves are bright green and upright, making them easy to harvest. The spicy, bracing taste of this mustard green is almost reminiscent of wasabi.

‘Wasabina’ is slow to bolt, and leaves remain tender and edible even after the plant does bolt. Despite this mustard green’s preference for hot, dry conditions, it is surprisingly tolerant of frost. Plant ‘Wasabina’ in late summer or early fall for a late fall harvest.