As if an artist had carefully brushed deep purple filigree on the delicately serrated leaves of mizuna. Anne Elder of Community Farm in Ann Arbor describes it as “a sweet flash of color for any raw dish.” Clayton Carter calls it “everything that the so-called Purple Mizuna should be.” Bold coloring on deeply toothed leaves. Germinates quickly, grows speedily but, unlike Mizuna, bolts rapidly. Great for multiple spring and fall cuttings, but cannot stand heat. Provides a striking contrast when bunched with Mizuna, Tokyo Bekana or Maruba Santoh. Also unlike Mizuna, has a sweet and spicy flavor, though not excessively hot. Even after it bolts, its flower buds and yellow flowers can add a tang to salads. Carter calls it “the staple of my salad and braising mixes.” “A big hit with my chef clients,” reports Georgie Smith of Coupeville, WA. Color deepens toward darker maroon in the cool of autumn. Tested negative for BR and BL.
Ruby Streaks Mustard
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Additional Information
Asian Greens
- Days to maturity are from emergence after sowing; from transplant, subtract 20 days.
Culture: Wire hoops and row cover keep out flea beetles and are a must for pristine salad or braising mixes!
Diseases:
- ALTS: Alternaria Leaf Spot
- BL: Black Leg
- Black Rot
- BSR: Bacterial Soft Rot
- DM: Downy Mildew
Major pests: Cabbage Looper, Diamondback Moth, Imported Cabbageworm
Cultural controls: control cabbage-family weeds near crop fields, till under crop debris of early-season brassicas after harvest.
Material controls: Spinosad, Bt.
Pest: Flea Beetle
Cultural controls: floating row covers, mulch with straw, time plantings for fall harvested crops only, crop rotation, perimeter trap cropping.
Material controls: Spinosad, Pyganic.
Pest: Cabbage Root Maggot
Cultural controls: time planting to avoid first hatching, use row covers, control weeds.
Major diseases: Black Rot, Alternaria Leaf Spot, Blackleg, Club Root, Downy Milldew, White Mold
Cultural controls: avoid transplanting plants with yellow leaves or v-shaped lesions, crop rotation, destroy crop debris after harvest, avoid overhead irrigation, control weeds, allow for good air movement.
Material controls: Copper.
Note: because of a rule issued by Oregon, we cannot ship brassica packets larger than ½ oz. (14 grams) into the Willamette Valley, except those that have tested negative for Black Leg and Black Rot. Check descriptions for information.
Mustards
About 8,750-22,000 seeds per oz, with wide variability among varieties.
Versatile for tasty microgreens. Mustards are potent soil fumigants. Incorporating the residues of mustard crops into your soil can reduce fungal diseases in your succession crop. See Mustard from Organic Growers Supply for a cover crop, and Yellow (White) Mustard for culinary mustard.
Saving Seed: Saving mustard green seed is easy! Let your spring sowing of mustards bolt. The flowers develop into narrow seed pods. Once pods dry on the stems, they can be easily broken open for seed. To ensure true-to-type seed, grow only one open-pollinated variety per season (or let only one flower!)
Brassicas
Days to maturity are from transplant date.
Culture: Start brassicas indoors March-May for setting out May-July, or direct-seed in May, or in June for fall crop. Minimum germination soil temperature 40°, optimal range 55–85°. Easier grown for the fall because many varieties perform poorly in hot summers. For better stands in dry conditions, sow in trenches and keep irrigated. Wire hoops and row cover should be used at early stages to keep out flea beetles and swede midge.
Note: because of a rule issued by Oregon, we cannot ship brassica packets larger than ½ oz. (14 grams) into the Willamette Valley, except those that have tested negative for Black Leg and Black Rot. Check descriptions for information.
Diseases:- BL: Blackleg
- BR: Black Rot
- BS: Bacterial Speck
- DM: Downy Mildew
- FW: Fusarium Wilt
- FY: Fusarium Yellows
- TB: Tipburn
- WR: White Rust
Pest and Disease Remedies for all Brassicas
Major pests: Cabbage Looper, Diamondback Moth, Imported Cabbageworm
Cultural controls: control cabbage-family weeds near crop fields, till under crop debris of early-season brassicas after harvest.
Material controls: Spinosad, Bt.
Pest: Flea Beetle
Cultural controls: floating row covers, mulch with straw, time plantings for fall harvested crops only, crop rotation, perimeter trap cropping.
Material controls: AzaMax, Spinosad, PyGanic.
Pest: Cabbage Root Maggot
Cultural controls: time planting to avoid first hatching, use row covers, control weeds.
Major diseases: Black Rot, Alternaria Leaf Spot, Blackleg, Club Root, Downy Mildew, White Mold
Cultural controls: avoid transplanting plants with yellow leaves or v-shaped lesions, crop rotation, destroy crop debris after harvest, avoid overhead irrigation, control weeds, allow for good air movement.
Material controls: Copper.
Disease: Head Rot
Cultural controls: use well-domed varieties, harvest heads when tight, cut stalks at an angle.
Material control: Copper.
Swede Midge—not as cute as it sounds!
Alert! Heading brassicas in the Northeast are seeing consistent damage from swede midge, a tiny gall midge. Its effects result in a non-heading plant. Wire hoops and row cover at early stages of heading brassica crops are becoming crucial for success. Some research also suggests garlic sprays as a possible organic repellent. Consult your Cooperative Extension resources for further information.
Germination Testing
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
Our Seeds are Non-GMO
All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.