Red Giant Leaf Mustard
Brassica juncea 'Red Giant'
Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 10 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
This beautiful selection produces deep maroon and green edible leaves; baby leaves, with a peppery flavor profile, are a great addition to salads, while mature leaves are better for cooking in soups or stir frys; easy to grow in gardens or containers
Edible Qualities
Red Giant Leaf Mustard is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. The crinkled lobed green leaves with showy burgundy variegation can be harvested at any time in the season. The leaves have a spicy taste.
The leaves are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Cooking
Planting & Growing
Red Giant Leaf Mustard will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.
Red Giant Leaf Mustard is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.