Chinese mustard
Brassica juncea
A vegetable, sown March to August. It needs 3 jobs a year.
In September: pick a few Chinese mustard leaves at a time. Wear gloves: it can irritate skin or cause an allergy.
Add Chinese mustard to my plot
Garden Helper, the free plan, holds up to 10 plants. You sign in with a link we email you, with no password.
Chinese mustard, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Protect the Chinese mustard over winter. | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Sow another batch of Chinese mustard. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Pick a few Chinese mustard leaves at a time. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Handle it with care
Wear gloves: it can irritate skin or cause an allergy.
Strong source: RHS.
Sowing
Sow outdoors March to August, 1.5cm deep, 20cm apart, rows 25cm apart. Moderate source: Mr Fothergill’s.
Protect the Chinese mustard over winter
Use cloches or plastic-free fleece, or grow it in a coldframe or greenhouse.
Usually December to February. Moderate source: RHS.
Sow another batch of Chinese mustard
Gardeners call this successional sowing.
Sow a small batch every few weeks for non-stop harvests.
Usually April to August. Moderate source: RHS.
Pick a few Chinese mustard leaves at a time
Gardeners call this cut-and-come-again harvesting.
Usually September to November. Moderate source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
Add Chinese mustard to my plot
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Chinese mustard” comes from.