When to Plant Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Sow them outdoors in the 4 weeks before the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 6 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 35 to 50 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 17 – May 15 |
| Harvest | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | Apr 22 – May 20 | May 22 – Jun 19 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Sep 6 – Oct 4 | Aug 16 – Sep 13 | Jul 22 – Aug 19 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 11 – Nov 8 | Sep 20 – Oct 18 | Aug 26 – Sep 23 |
Growing mustard greens
Pick leaves young for salads or larger for cooking; flavour gets sharper in hot weather.
- Spacing: 6 in apart, in rows 18 in apart. In a raised bed, 9 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 35 to 50 from sowing, then about 4 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 14 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: mustard greens are in the cabbage family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi. See companion plants for mustard greens.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant mustard greens and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can mustard greens go in before the last frost?
Yes. Mustard greens are hardy: sow them in the 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do mustard greens take to grow?
About 35 to 50 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 4 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow mustard greens in fall?
Yes. Sow 6 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow mustard greens?
Every 14 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Growing Leafy Greens in Iowa
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardeners: Trap Cropping (2020)