Chinese Red Giant Mustard - Brassica juncea

Chinese Red Mustard 'Red Giant' is a biennial vegetable plant, growing rapidly between 15 and 25 cm (6 and 10in), cultivated for its wide and undulate leaves, which are reddish-purple in colour and have a pungent taste. They are harvested as young shoots to enhance mixed salads. Sowing period is from March to April and from August to September for a harvest two months later.

Chinese Red Mustard 'Red Giant' has been cultivated for a long time in China, Japan, and India. Its foliage is used in Asian dishes, and can also be cooked like spinach, with butter or cream, or eaten raw in salads to add a spicy flavour.

Chinese Mustard requires a supply of well-decomposed compost (3 kg/m).

Harvest: Harvest Chinese Mustard, leaf by leaf, as needed.

Storage: Mustard leaves should be consumed as soon as possible.

Gardening tip: Regular weeding and hoeing should be carried out. An insect protection net can be installed to prevent flea beetles.