Category: fall vegetable gardening

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.

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To Do in the Garden: October 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, azalea lace bugs, bees, beneficial insects, bulbs, cankerworm mitigation, cankerworms, composting, container gardening, cover crops, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, fall cover crops, fall gardening, fall vegetable gardening, forcing bulbs indoors, native bee habitat, nesting bees, nesting insects, soil samples Durham NC extension, sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife, sustainable fall pruning for wildlife, tree banding in the fall, tulips, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

While the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) took a hit from all the rain, the blooms of the zinnia (Z. elegans) and gaillarda (G. pulchella) still delight with punches of color. Scene from the late-season and very soggy ACG. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Gary Crispell)

And suddenly it’s October. When and how did that happen? Although, I’m pretty sure I got here by boat. Hopefully, the three-month monsoon season is over, but we could still get another gift from the tropics. (Someone needs to do something about the butterflies in West Africa.) 

The rain gauge indicated 12 inches for September. The last time I remember anywhere near that amount was in 1996, when our dear, yet very angry friend, Fran, visited for a harrowing overnight stay. 

The Accidental Cottage Garden is bowed but not broken. Everything is beaten down and bent over. Kinda looks like myriad ground covers gone berserk. However, in the tangles, one can find an assortment of delightful blooms. Zinnias (Z. elegans), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), mock vervain (Glandularia bipinnatifida), plucky gaillardia (G. pulchella), evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana), Autumn Joy sedum (S. ‘Herbstfreude’), hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum), and two volunteer cosmos (C. bipinnata) are doing their best to overcome the odds and keep the neighbors smiling. 

So, what’s going on in your garden? Perhaps you’ll find something useful or amusing (or amusingly useful) in here this month (or not). Either way, let’s garden. 

LAWN CARE

Attempt to prevent leaf accumulation on lawns, especially newly seeded or overseeded ones. And be sure those receive adequate moisture. (Yeah, I know. Really?!?) About those leaves, please compost them or put them into a natural area. They do not belong in the landfill. Continue mowing cool-season grasses (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) at 3 ½” to 4.”

FERTILIZING

Not much to see (or do) here, folks. Drop some fertilizer on the spring-flowering bulb beds. 10-10-10 or equivalent will do just fine. Work it into the soil where possible. Store any leftover fertilizer in sealed containers in a dry location until next season. 

PLANTING

(Left to right) Pansies brighten up the shorter autumn days. Tulip and pansy pot planted in the fall. The pansies were joyous for 3 long seasons: fall, winter, as well as in the spring when the tulips also came into their own. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Marcia Kirinus)

“FALL IS FOR PLANTING,” repeated…again. Things planted now will have most of the winter to put down roots and get established so they’ll be ready for another Sonoran June. Consider planting a cover crop on any part of the veggie garden not growing a fall crop. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) or winter rye (Secale cereale) will keep the soil intact and add nutrients to it.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, narcissus, etc.) this month. Plant salad greens and short-season root crops (carrots, radishes) in a cold frame. Do something nice for yourself and plant pansies. A pot full of their smiling faces can do a lot to lift the gloom of a day when it’s 34 degrees and raining. Caveat: deer LOVE them.

PRUNING

Wait until it gets cold (post-killing frost) and intends to remain that way for a bit. The goal is to avoid any new growth attempting an emergence until spring. Cutting back everything in the perennial garden is something your grandmother did but is no longer considered “best practices.” Apparently, there are solitary native bees that lay eggs on or overwinter in the stems of said perennials. Your grandmother didn’t tell you because she didn’t know. Somebody with a great deal of intellect, curiosity, and, quite frankly, an amazing amount of time on their hands figured this out in the not-too-distant past (post-grandma period). So, DON’T cut back your perennials unless the HOA is fixin’ to put a lien on your house. Chances are an HOA wouldn’t let you plant perennials (aka, weeds) in your yard to begin with. They—the stems, not the HOA—are better left until spring. Root prune any trees or shrubs you plan on moving in the spring. Have you noticed that most of fall is spent preparing for spring? That’s what the plant kingdom does. Those of us in the animal world get ready for winter. Plants have their eyes on the future. 

Close up of the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), an example of a hollow-stemmed plant that provides valuable over-winter habitat for nesting insects. This photo shows the stems after cutting in the spring once insects may have emerged. Other plants with hollow stems include anise hyssop, bluestar, milkweed, tall tickseed, and pink muhly grass, among others. Pithy-stemmed plants like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) provide habitat for some bees who use pith to build their nests. (Image credit: Debbie Roos)

SPRAYING

Most of the pesky little &*@$# have gone to sleep for the winter. There are two notable exceptions: lace bugs on azaleas (especially those in full or mostly sun) and scale on euonymus and camellias. Both can be treated with horticultural oil. It smothers the adults and their eggs. 

Damage caused by azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott). (Image credit: James. L. Castner, University of Florida)

PROPAGATION

Some of you are starting plants from cuttings. Maybe even in a cold frame that doesn’t have veggies planted in it. Be sure to monitor it at least bi-weekly for health and vigor. Water as necessary. 

Other amazingly fun stuff to fill whatever “perfect October days” we may be granted by whomever is in charge of such things:

Take soil samples while they are FREE through November. Sample collection boxes and instructions are available from the Durham County Extension office at 721 Foster St. or from the NCDOACS.

Repeating: compost any leaves you gather up. Sending them to the landfill is a definite no-no.

Cleanse the bird feeder(s), fill ‘em up, and put ‘em out. Sit back and watch. It’s therapeutic.

Prepare all your lawn and garden equipment for its long winter’s nap.

if you band your trees to mitigate the number of insect larvae that might feed on your trees in the summer (and whose digestive tracts are highly inefficient, causing copious quantities of worm feces to accumulate on whatever is under said trees—a friend told me about this), now is the time to do this (if you remember what “this” is after the mid-paragraph digression).

Sticky bands capture female moths who will begin crawling up tree trunks in the fall to mate and lay eggs that will hatch into the small caterpillars we call Cankerworms. In the spring, these hungry caterpillars emerge and eat the leaves of hardwood trees in urban areas and can be a threat to tree health and mortality. Some experts recommend waiting until all the leaves have fallen before banding. (Image credit: William A. Carothers, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.)

For a glimpse of spring in the bleak midwinter, try forcing spring-flowering bulbs. Daffodils and narcissus are good candidates for this exercise. Plant the bulbs in pots early in October and put them in the refrigerator. This assumes that you have a huge refrigerator and no teenagers in the house. In 12 weeks (Happy New Year!), remove them and set them in a sunny window where you can watch them grow and bloom. Fun! Kids get a kick out of it.

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs forced for indoor bloom. (Image credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Bask in the beauty of the season when the leaves show off their true colors without the chlorophyll mask they have worn all summer. We may have to do that close to home this year. The mountains are closed until further notice. Sad. It’s the beginning of fire pit season. ‘Nuff said. Enjoy it, y’all! 

Resources and Additional Information

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