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Gartenkern.de

Sinapis alba

Yellow mustard

Common names: White mustard, Green manure mustard

At a glance

Light
Full sun
Spacing
5 cm, rows 15 cm
Lifespan
Annual
Sowing
Apr–Sep
Hardiness
Cold damage below −3 °C
Water need
Low
Yellow mustard

Photo: Ariel Palmon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

This description was machine-translated.

Description

Yellow mustard is the fastest green manure for crop breaks. In six to eight weeks it forms a dense stand with yellow flowers, loosens the soil with its roots, and binds nutrients before leaching. Because it belongs to the Brassicaceae family, it should not be planted before or after cabbage, otherwise it promotes cabbage root rot.

Care instructions

Sow yellow mustard from April to September in a wide row directly onto the harvested bed and rake it flat; water when dry. Cut or roll it off no later than the start of flowering, before seeds form, otherwise it will become tangled. Leave it as mulch; most plants freeze in winter and can be easily incorporated flat in spring.

The care notes were machine-translated from German.

Garden year

SowingApr–Sep

Germination

Soil temperature
from 5 °C, ideally 18 °C
Days to sprout
3 to 7 days
Light
Sprouts in light or dark
Sowing depth
1.5 cm
How to start
Sow straight into the bed

Soil & site

Soil pH

4.0pH 6–7.58.0

Soil type

sandy, loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, lime-loving

LightFull sun
Hours of sunat least 6 h a day
HardinessFrost-sensitive
Crop rotationBrassicas
Water needLow

White mustard is undemanding and grows in almost any soil, but it prefers loose, free-draining sandy-loam or humus-rich soils with a little lime. Contrary to what is often assumed, it also copes well with heavy, compacted soils, because its strong roots even loosen the soil. Keep it moderately moist.

Brassicas are heavy feeders and susceptible to clubroot; allow a 4-year break from growing them, and do not follow directly on from other crucifers such as radishes or mustard.

Feeding

Light feeder

Months

Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep

As a light feeder and green manure, white mustard normally needs no fertilising. It gathers nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from the soil itself and returns them to the following crop. Only on very poor soils should you work a little ripe compost in shallowly before sowing. Dig the plant material in no later than the start of flowering, so that the stored nutrients reach the soil before seeds ripen.

Overwintering

White mustard is an annual and dies back by itself with the first frosts (below about -5 °C). You do not need to overwinter it actively. Leave the frosted foliage in place as mulch and work it in shallowly in spring; the following year you simply sow afresh.

Propagation

Methods

  • From seed

Sow white mustard by direct sowing outdoors only. Other methods make no sense for this annual, because it dies after the seeds ripen and does not form a lasting stand. Sow broadcast from March to September onto a loosened, finely raked bed. Sowing depth is about 1 to 2 cm; rake the seed in only shallowly and press it down lightly. White mustard germinates best under a thin covering of soil, so do not bury it deeply. Germination starts at soil temperatures as low as 8 to 10 °C and often begins after just 5 to 7 days. Keep the bed evenly moist during germination. For seed harvest, it is best to sow early in spring (March/April) and harvest the pods in late summer, just before they turn brown and burst open. As a green manure you can sow right up to September and work the foliage in shallowly before flowering or shortly after, so that it breaks down well. Mind your crop rotation: white mustard is a crucifer (Brassicaceae) and should not follow directly after cabbage, oilseed rape, radish or other crucifers on the same bed, otherwise disease and pest pressure rises.

Companion planting

Good neighbors

legume family (Fabaceae)

particularly well established

Leguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.

For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue

Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)

carrot family (Apiaceae)

You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.

For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue

Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice

mint family (Lamiaceae)

You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.

For example LavenderThymeBasilRosemarySageHyssop and 43 more species in the catalogue

Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice

nasturtium family (Tropaeolaceae)

Nasturtium serves as a trap plant for you. Aphids and cabbage whiteflies prefer it over the brassicaceae next to it.

For example NasturtiumMashua

Source: Trap plant practice in organic horticulture

Potato

Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.

Some of these explanations were machine-translated.

For your garden

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