When to plant Mitzuna in Cool Australia

Cool zone — applies to Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Armidale and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.

Sow mitzuna direct from March to May for a cool-season crop, as this hardy Japanese mustard green thrives in the cold and bolts in heat. Seed is quick to strike, germinating in just 4 to 7 days at 5 mm deep. Fast to mature at 40 to 60 days, it suits the shoulder seasons in cool gardens perfectly. Space plants 15 to 20 cm apart with rows about 30 cm apart, or sow more thickly for cut-and-come-again leaves. In Hobart, Canberra and Orange, the autumn sowing gives tender, peppery leaves right through the cold months when little else is growing.

Sowing calendar — cool zone

Green months are your sowing window: March to May.

Growing notes

Mitzuna is a genuinely cold-loving green, which makes it one of the more rewarding crops for the cool zone's difficult end of the year. Sow direct from March to May so plants grow into cooling weather; germination is fast at 4 to 7 days and the mild, feathery leaves are ready to pick from around 40 days. Its hardiness means it keeps producing through frosts that stop most other salad crops.

The main failure mode is bolting. Sown too late into warming spring soil, or caught by an unseasonal warm spell, mitzuna runs quickly to seed and the leaves turn coarse and sharply pungent. In cool gardens around Ballarat or Armidale this is rarely a problem with the recommended autumn sowing, but avoid sowing into late spring heat.

Keep the soil consistently moist, as any check from drying out also encourages bolting and toughens the leaves. Treat it as cut-and-come-again: harvest outer leaves regularly and the plant keeps throwing new growth for weeks. Although it is a brassica, mitzuna's speed means it usually outruns most pest pressure, though watch for slugs in wet cool-season beds and flea beetle shot-holes on young leaves, which a light cover of fine netting will prevent.

Mitzuna at a glance

Common questions

When should I sow mitzuna in Hobart?

Autumn is ideal, so sow direct from March to May. Mitzuna is hardy and loves cool weather, so an autumn sowing in Hobart grows into the cold and produces tender leaves right through winter when little else is available.

Why has my mitzuna gone to seed so quickly?

Bolting is usually triggered by heat or a check in growth. Sowing into warm spring soil or letting the bed dry out both push it to flower early, so stick to the cooler months and keep the soil evenly moist.

Can I harvest mitzuna more than once?

Yes, it is an excellent cut-and-come-again crop. Pick the outer leaves regularly and leave the centre to keep growing, and a single plant will produce fresh leaves for several weeks before it eventually runs to seed.

Does mitzuna survive frost?

It does. Mitzuna is hardy and keeps growing and producing through frosts that would stop most salad greens, which is exactly why it is such a useful cool-season crop in cold gardens.

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