Learn about how to grow mizuna, a heat tolerant, cold tolerant, nutritious leafy green vegetable.
When you make a purchase using a link on this page, we may receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please see About Us.
Mizuna is a type of Japanese mustard green that is easy to grow and delicious, too.
Mizuna is a nutritious leafy green vegetable, packed with vitamins and antioxidants. It is one of the easiest plants to grow in a vegetable garden.
A member of the Brassica family, which also includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and turnips, mizuna is a cool weather plant that is easy to grow and requires little maintenance in the garden.
Mizuna is perfect for using as a fresh salad vegetable or cooked in sautés and soups.
How is mizuna used in recipes?
Mizuna is a slightly spicy mustard green that is good for adding to salads. Mizuna can also be grown as a micro green. Mizuna makes a great plant for growing in a container garden.
Here are five ways to use mizuna in recipes.
- Make fresh salad. Add mizuna to leafy green salad blends for fresh taste. Green mizuna, pink mizuna, and purple mizuna add brilliant color to salads.
- Use mizuna in sautés. Mizuna is a great vegetable to add to sauté. Add mizuna to the wok or skillet and sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until the mizuna is just tender.
- Cook mizuna in soups. Add mizuna to soups where you add other greens, such as vegetable soup or white bean soup with greens.
- Make green smoothies and juices. Add a small amount of mizuna to your favorite green smoothie recipe or green juice recipe.
- Add mizuna to pesto. Mizuna makes a great pesto sauce when added to other fresh greens like arugula, basil, or spinach. Blend with crushed walnuts, grated Parmesan cheese, and olive oil for a tasty green pesto sauce to use with pasta.
Types of Mizuna
There are many types of mizuna that range in colors from light green to deep purple. Here are some mizuna varieties to know.
605 Summer Mizuna
Summer 605 is reported to be a heat tolerant mizuna, bred to withstand hot and humid summers in Japan. We were interested to try it, since summer heat and humidity usually puts our lettuce growing season to an abrupt end. Summer 605 mizuna grew happily from spring until fall in the shade of larger mustard plants, beets, and chives in the spring, and tomato plants in summer and fall. The leaves are delicious in salads.
Beni Houshi Mizuna
A beautiful purple mizuna variety, Beni Houshi mizuna is packed with antioxidants. Grow during spring or fall.
Early Mizuna
A traditional mizuna variety with thin, light green leaves from Kyoto, Japan. Early Mizuna has good cold tolerance, making it a good choice for early spring, fall, and winter gardens.
Japanese Pink Mizuna
Japanese Pink Mizuna is a purplish-pink mizuna variety that is reported to be nutrient dense and rich in antioxidants. Use this variety to add color to your favorite salads or stir fry recipes.
Kyona Mizuna
A cold hardy, mild variety of mizuna that is tasty when eaten fresh in salads.
When to Grow Mizuna
Mizuna grows best during the cooler months of spring and fall. 605 Summer mizuna is a heat tolerant variety that may be grown spring, summer, and fall.
How to Grow Mizuna
One of the best ways to grow mizuna is from seed. Buy mizuna seeds online for best variety. The seeds are small and round, similar to other types of mustard seeds.
How to Grow Mizuna from Seed
Start mizuna plants indoors to get a head start on the spring gardening season. Start seeds about 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Using a heat mat and grow light can help to provide adequate heat and light for seeds to germinate and plants to grow.
- Buy mizuna seeds online or in store. Prepare loose, well-draining soil in small pots for sowing the seeds.
- Fill each small pot with soil to about 1/2-inch below the rim of the pot. Dig a shallow hole in the center of each pot. Sow 2 to 3 mizuna seeds about ¼-inch deep into soil in the hole, then gently cover the seeds with soil.
- Lightly mist the soil with water to provide the seeds with moisture. A spray bottle filled with water works well for watering seeds. Spray mist over the soil each day to water the seeds.
- As the seeds germinate, thin the plants out to leave the strongest, healthiest appearing plant in each pot. Prick plants out using a toothpick to dig away soil and gently remove the plants, or cut weaker plants at the soil line.
- Once the mizuna plants reach about 4 to 6 inches tall, transplant them into the garden. You can apply a transplant fertilizer solution or small amount of compost or fertilizer at this time, to help nourish the plants in their new home.
- Keep the soil consistently moist as the mizuna plants grow. Use mulch to help keep moisture in the ground around the plants. Most mizuna varieties may be harvested about 45 days after transplating the seedlings into the garden.
You can also grow mizuna indoors using a hydroponic system for growing leafy greens.
Mizuna is a cold hardy plant, and you may be sow seeds outside, first into small seedling pots or flats, before transplanting the seedlings into a raised bed garden or larger pot to mature.
How to Harvest Mizuna
Mizuna can be grown as a cut-and-come-again vegetable, which makes it perfect for growing as a leafy salad green. You can begin to harvest mizuna leaves as soon as 20 days after seed germination, although the plants need about 40 days to mature.
Harvest up to one-third of the plant at a time, leaving the rest of the plant to continue growing. Grow several mizuna plants at one time for a bigger harvest.
Mizuna Pests and Diseases
Mizuna is often one of the least bothered Brassica plants in our garden, even as other nearby plants are being ravaged by cabbage worms and other pests.
Still, keep an eye out for pests like aphids, cabbage worms, slugs and snails, and flea beetles. Row covers and organic sprays may be used to help deter common pests.
Rotate crops to help prevent diseases and pests from overwintering and attacking the next season’s crop.
How long does mizuna take to grow?
Like many types of mustard greens, mizuna takes about 40 days to reach maturity. Sow new mizuna seeds every 2 to 3 weeks during spring for a continuous harvest. Mizuna plants may grow more slowly during fall and winter, when daylight hours decrease.
How big does mizuna grow?
Mizuna plants can grow up to 18-inches wide. It’s feathery leaves grow up and out from the plant, often giving the plant a round shape.
In general, mizuna is a compact plant that grows well in pots or containers and adds color and interest to a patio or outdoor garden space.
Companion Plants for Mizuna
Good companion plants for mizuna include:
Many of these plants are cool weather-loving vegetables and herbs that would grow well along with mizuna in a spring or fall garden. All can be grown in the ground, in raised beds, or in pots or containers.
This post was all about how to grow mizuna, an easy and quick vegetable to grow.
— —
Credits
- Photo by Greta Hoffman / Pexels
- Photos are for illustrative purposes only.