When to plant Mizuna in Cool Australia
Cool zone — applies to Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Armidale and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.
Sow mizuna direct across a long season in the cool zone, from August to March, giving harvests through the milder end of the year. This hardy mustard green germinates fast in 6 to 12 days at 6 mm deep and is one of the quickest crops you can grow, maturing in just 35 to 50 days. Space plants 20 to 30 cm apart with rows 20 to 30 cm apart, or sow thickly for baby-leaf pickings. In cool gardens around Canberra, Ballarat and Orange, its long window means you can stagger sowings for a near-continuous supply of peppery, feathery leaves.
Sowing calendar — cool zone
Green months are your sowing window: August to March.
Growing notes
Mizuna is fast, hardy and forgiving, and its long sowing window from August to March makes it one of the most flexible greens in the cool-zone garden. Because it matures in as little as 35 days, successional sowings every three to four weeks give a steady supply rather than a single glut. It handles cold well, so late-season sowings crop through frosts that stop softer salads.
The usual failure is bolting in the warmer part of that window. Sowings that run into hot, dry mid-summer weather, or plants left short of water, run to seed fast and the leaves turn tough and fiery. In the heat of a Ballarat or Orange summer, favour the spring and autumn ends of the range, keep the soil evenly moist, and give a little afternoon shade if a heatwave threatens.
Otherwise mizuna asks little. Its speed usually lets it stay ahead of pests, but young seedlings can be peppered by flea beetle in dry weather, showing as tiny shot-holes, and slugs take a toll in wet cool-season beds. A light cover of fine netting over just-emerged rows solves both. Harvest as cut-and-come-again, taking outer leaves and letting the centre regrow, and pull plants for the compost as soon as they start to bolt.
Mizuna at a glance
| Sowing depth | 6 mm |
|---|---|
| Plant spacing | 20-30 cm |
| Row spacing | 20-30 cm |
| Germination | 6-12 days |
| Days to maturity | 35-50 days |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy |
| Method | Raise Seedlings,Sow Direct |
Common questions
- How often can I sow mizuna in a cool climate?
- Because it matures in as little as 35 to 50 days, sow small amounts every three to four weeks across the August to March window. This staggered approach gives a continuous supply of fresh leaves rather than everything ready at once.
- Why is my mizuna tough and too hot to eat?
- That is usually a sign the plant has been stressed by heat or dry soil and is starting to bolt. Keep the bed evenly moist, favour the cooler ends of the sowing window in summer, and harvest young leaves before the plant runs to seed.
- What is making holes in my mizuna seedlings?
- Small round shot-holes in young leaves are typically flea beetle, which is worse in warm, dry weather. Covering newly emerged rows with fine insect netting keeps them off, and the damage rarely troubles fast-growing plants once they are established.
- Can I grow mizuna through a Canberra winter?
- Yes, mizuna is hardy and late-summer to autumn sowings will crop through Canberra's cold, producing leaves during frosts that stop most salad crops. Growth slows in the depths of winter but the plants hold and pick up again as it warms.
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