Category: easy to grow plants

Mustard: It’s Not Just for Hotdogs

On By durhammastergardenersIn adding vegetables to annual flowers, annuals, bees, beneficial insects, container gardening, Durham NC, easy to grow plants, edibles, fall gardening, fall vegetable gardening, garden design, gardening, gardening in pots, Gardening information, gardening NC, growing mustard, landscaping for wildlife, mizuna, mustard plants, pollinator gardening, pollinators, sustainability, Uncategorized, urban garden, urban gardening, vegetable gardening

By Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

(Left) The big, bold leaves of ‘Red Giant‘ mustard take center stage in this large container providing texture, height, volume, and intense color. This mustard was fast growing, survived cold temperatures with minimal protection. It was also slow to bolt when the weather got warm in the spring. (Middle and right) The ‘Miz America’ mizuna-mustard hybrid was equally stunning in a built-in planter box and potted alongside pansies, violas, and a lemon cypress, (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ ). While these head turners are edible, I planted them for their color and form. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)1

Wait? I thought this was a blog about gardening, not cooking! Well, the mustard I am referring to isn’t the zippy condiment we all know but is the plant I discovered is a star in fall containers. I’ve written in the past about the herb bloody dock, also known as sorrel, and what a bullet-proof companion it is for pansies, violas, snapdragons, ornamental kale, cabbage, and other autumn-to-spring plants. Last year I tried adding mustard to my potted arrangements and was thrilled with the results.

A Question of Hardiness

Along with broccoli, collards, and kale, mustard is a cole crop that performs best in consistently cool temperatures when grown in the vegetable garden. But over the last couple of years I’ve started seeing different mustard plants at the local nurseries more and more alongside the annual cold-weather ornamentals. The mustard plants offered some really interesting leafy forms for planting in pots. I was dubious, though, about their hardiness over the winter, unprotected in containers, but what is gardening without experimentation? With the exception of a couple nights with temps in the teens in the dead of winter, I did not cover any mustard plants. To my surprise, they performed just as well as their cool-weather container companions.

(Left to right) Mustard plants already making a debut at the local nursery this month alongside fall’s usual suspects. In late spring of 2024, my ‘Miz America’ mustard plants produced bright yellow flowers when they bolted. The plants really earned their keep–providing interesting leaves for months followed by these showy late-spring blooms. And did I mention spring pollinators were drawn to their nectar and pollen? (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

If the spring weather warmed up too quickly, as it is known to do in central NC, I also wondered whether these cool-temp lovers would bolt (flower) and fade too quickly given their prominent placements. Most of the containers were in the hottest place around our house–on a dark-colored deck that receives full sun. Happily, the mustard tolerated a good number of hot days in late April and early May before bolting. Even after flowering, they were still going strong when I removed them to make way for summer plants. While I may have just the right conditions in my landscape for these results, I can’t chalk this success up to anything remarkable. Mustard plants are easy to grow. And I’ve come to find out, one of the types I planted is actually bred to be bolt resistant, ensuring longevity.

Mustard Varieties for Annual Container Gardening

Red Giant Mustard (Brassica juncea ‘Red Giant’)

I found this to be a striking specimen. In my big container, it quickly grew to be over 3 feet tall, with gracefully arching leaves that reminded me of a classical acanthus—yes, you really can wax poetic about mustard. If grown in optimum conditions, this plant has been reported to grow as large as 4 feet. Though I have not experienced this, don’t underestimate its vigor. When planning your mixed pot, give it plenty of room. ‘Big Giant’ mustard leaves start off green but mature into a deep maroon with contrasting green stems, midribs, and leaf veins. This plant is specifically bred to be both cold-and-bolt tolerant. Frost intensifies the color. It grows best in full sun with well-drained soil. It paired nicely with the flowering cushion spurge ‘Ascot Rainbow’ (Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’) as a backdrop.

In terms of its characteristics as an edible, this mustard has a bold taste like wasabi or horseradish and can be pickled, eaten cooked (mature leaves), and eaten raw (young leaves). Hot weather sharpens the flavor, especially in the older leaves of the plant.

‘Red Giant’
‘Miz America’

Image credit: Melinda Heigel

Miz America Hybrid (Brassica juncea ‘Miz America’)

At once striking and delicate, the deeply lobed and serrated leaves of this mustard are a showy deep burgundy with vibrant hot-pink midribs and venation. Like ‘Red Giant,’ it is a fast grower and prefers full sun. It serves as an excellent filler in containers, given its upright and compact habit.

From a culinary perspective, ‘Miz America’ has a mild peppery flavor. It’s a hybrid plant that comes from crossing two distinct mustard varieties. One of the parents, mizuna, is a mild green mustard, which gives ‘Miz America’ its beautiful serrated edges and mild flavor. You can enjoy the leaves of all mustards in a salad by picking them young—under 6 inches. If picked at a more mature size, they can be added to a dish to impart a hint of sweetness with a mustard tang. Consider adding them to a bowl of hot, creamy soup such as butternut squash or tomato. Not only does it give you additional nutritional value without adding additional calories, but it adds a nice crunch and a bit of zing.

I’ve yet to replant my containers and built-in planter box this fall, but you’d better bet that mustard plants will be making a repeat performance in 2024. I’ve already seen ‘Red Giant’ in the nurseries, but I am also on the hunt for some other intriguing mustards to test out—namely ‘Brazen Brass’ and ‘Dragon Tongue.’ If you want something unusual, showy, and even tasty in your fall plantings, remember to go heavy on the mustard.

Notes

1–Want a closer look at a photo? Simply double click on the image for a better view.

2–According to Missouri Botanical Garden, Brassica juncea, known by its common names Chinese mustard or brown mustard, is listed as a noxious weed in some states including Michigan, Florida, and Alaska and considered invasive. Cultivars discussed here are bred to be used as annual edibles or ornamentals in gardens.

Resources and Additional Information

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-54k

Little Miss Figgy in the City

On By durhammastergardenersIn Downtown Durham, NC, Durham NC, easy to grow plants, fruit in the home garden, fruit production, fruit trees, gardening in pots, pruning fruit trees, Uncategorized, urban garden, urban gardening

By Deborah Pilkington, NC State Extension Master Gardener SM volunteer of Durham County

One of the stars in the Container Demonstration Garden at Cocoa Cinnamon in Old North Durham is Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’ Little Miss Figgy.  It was discovered by Michael Nobles in September of 2010, growing as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Ficus Violette de Bordeaux in a container at his nursery in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Violette de Bordeaux is considered by many to be the quintessential fig, setting the standard for what all figs aspire to be. A highly stress-tolerant tree, its sweet, delectable fruit are among the most sought-after fig varieties in the world. It is low maintenance, disease and pest resistant, and highly productive once established.

On the left Little Miss Figgy is showing off her beautiful, deeply lobed leaves in her first growing season in the container. The right picture was taken in the summer of 2023, her second growing season. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Planting and Caring for Little Miss Figgy

Little Miss Figgy (Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’) is a miniature fig with a compact, dwarf habit and deeply lobed, dark blue-green leaves. It grows just 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, making it suitable to grow in containers or in small gardens in warmer climates. A United States Plant Patent, PP#27,929, was awarded April 25, 2017, listing the cultivar name as ‘Little Miss Figgy.’ Though patented in the US, its original species is not native to the United States. It does best in full sun to partial shade with average to evenly moist conditions. It does not tolerate standing water. Supplemental water may be needed during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH and is able to handle environmental salt. A layer of mulch around the root zone in winter will help protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates.  In the containers at Cocoa Cinnamon, Little Miss Figgy is planted in a soil mix of 50/50 soil/compost with added perlite for drainage.  The ratio is 4 :1 (50/50 mix : perlite).  As figs are known for vigorous root growth, lifting and pruning Little Miss Figgy’s roots may be necessary in the future.  Thus, if you are considering planting one in a container, be sure to choose a container that is wider at the top than the bottom to facilitate removal and pruning.

Cocoa Cinnamon Team member Mary Knierim encouraged us to plant Little Miss Figgy, which we did in October of 2021, to serve as one of the larger anchor plants in the containers. We were concerned about how Little Miss Figgy would weather the extreme cold in the advective freeze of December of 2022, which brought nighttime temperatures near 20 degrees over 6 consecutive nights. We did not cover her nor provide any other protective measures, rather we chose to wait it out. To our great relief, she was unaffected.

One unexpected bonus of having Little Miss Figgy in the containers is she is very adept at letting us know when our irrigation system is not working.  Here was our clue in June of 2023, her second growing season.  After making the fix to the system, she responded beautifully within 3 hours.

Miss Figgy droopy and needing water and then revived after a good soaking. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Miss Figgy, as we are wont to call her, produced figs in her second growing season, the summer of 2023; beautiful deep purple figs with amber flesh.  Though not many in number, there were enough for one of our team members to make a fig-cranberry relish. 

We were concerned about how the construction of the tall building across the street might affect her in terms of getting less winter sunlight, but she has done well. In February of 2024, we gave her a prune as she was starting to grow vigorously into the seating area.  Also, since figs fruit on new branch growth, we hoped to see an increase in fruit production.

Bare branches provide architectural interest in the winter months. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

In April of 2024, we started to see fruit production, with fruit starting to ripen in July. Figs are parthenocarpic, that is fruits (technically ‘pomes’) that develop without cross pollination. Little Miss Figgy’s third growing season was a banner one. By late July, the figs drooped and softened, indicating harvest time.

The figs matured over the summer and in July, when they began to droop, we knew it was time for harvest! (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

It was so fun to be able to pass out freshly harvested figs to the Cocoa Cinnamon baristas and to the public who happened to be in the seating area at the time. The figs have a sweet taste and fleshy texture.

The figs are ripe and ready to be eaten! They are sweet with a fleshy texture. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Little Miss Figgy is quite ornamental and is at home in a landscape or flower garden as well as a food garden. Highly tolerant of urban pollution, Little Miss Figgy will even thrive in city environments like those at Cocoa Cinnamon. Based on our experiences, we would highly recommend Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’ or Little Miss Figgy be given a space in your container garden!

Resources and Additional Information

For more information on the characteristics and care of Ficus carica:

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfinderdetails.aspx?taxonid=367795

Plant mutations can affect characteristics such as the size or color of a plant or fruit. They sometimes occur when a plant is stressed or when there is an error during cell division. This link from Michigan State explores the process and outcomes of mutations. www.canr.msu.edu/news/mutation-examples-and-how-they-happen

Melinda Heigel, Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County, explains how cold and freezing weather affects plants in this previous blog post from January, 2023. https://durhammastergardeners.com/?s=advective+freeze


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