The cold of midwinter is no problem! Mass-produce Chinese mustards that look like lumps with overwhelming power!
Misha: This time, we’ll try Chinese mustard.
Hachibee: That’s a spicy-sounding name.
Misha: That’s right! Chinese mustard is a type of mustard native to China.
Hachibee: Oh, but I’ve never seen it at my local supermarket.
Misha: That’s right, it might still be a rare vegetable. But this Chinese mustard’s unique bud-like “side shoots” are delicious when deep-fried, and the leaves can be pickled or stir-fried, so you can eat everything except the root, and it’s really tasty!
Hachibee: I wonder what it tastes like!? I’m starting to want to try it, so let’s give it a go!
Chinese mustard “almost weekly” cultivation report
9/29 Planting
Hachibee: He suddenly appears with a medicine-like ball!
Misha: Chinese mustard seeds are small, so they are often sold in pellets to make them easier to sow. However, they are not as small as grains of sand, so I think you can sow the seeds as they are.
10/6 Germination
Hachibee: There it is! They germinate quite quickly.
10/13 Leaves appear one after another
Hachibee: Wow! The jagged leaves have already appeared!
10/20 Leaves start to grow
Hachibee: What a beautiful color! This green is lovely as autumn deepens.
10/27 Leaves begin to grow and stems begin to appear
Hachibee: He’s really starting to improve. He’s got a lot of ambition.
Misha: Once the stems come out and the plant starts to get stronger, maybe we should replant it in a slightly larger spot.
11/3 More leaves
Hachibee: It’s November, but the light green color is amazing. But the new leaves will fade out here.
11/17 The leaves start to grow longer
Hachibee: It grew big!
Misha: It sort of evolved from a sprout into a plant.
11/24 Growth pause?
Hachibee: It’s getting pretty cold. Maybe it’s time to hibernate?
12/1 The leaves start to appear again
Hachibee: Oh!
Misha: Today marks the start of December. This is where Chinese mustard really shines.
12/8 The leaves begin to change and become wider
Hachibee: I noticed that the leaves have become much wider!
12/15 The leaves begin to grow wider one after another.
Hachibee: It’s suddenly become so voluminous in the middle of winter!
12/22 The leaves spread and the plant grows larger.
Hachibee: Suddenly it’s starting to give off a vegetable-like vibe.
12/29 New leaves begin to appear in the center of the plant
Hachibee: It’s growing slowly, but new leaves are definitely coming out.
Misha: Chinese Mustard has put up an unexpected turn of events at the end of the year.
1/5 Cold-resistant mode
Hachibee: Happy New Year! It doesn’t seem like a carefree atmosphere.
Misha: As expected, they are enduring the cold even as the tips of their leaves wither.
1/12 The leaves grow longer
Hachibee: I noticed that the leaves seem to have gotten a lot thicker.
1/19 The leaves are large, the stems are thick, and the plants are strong.
Hachibee: I wonder when the leaves got so big? The big leaves look like an overcoat to keep out the cold.
1/26 Leaves emerge from the center of the plant
Hachibee: They’re coming out!
2/2 Stock volume up
Hachibee: It’s amazing how much they’ve grown. It’s hard to believe that it’s the coldest time of the year.
Misha: Chinese mustards are really resistant to the cold, or rather, they love the cold.
2/9 Embossed leaves begin to appear
Hachibee: Oh? This time, leaves that are a little different from before have suddenly started to appear!
Misha: The leaves are slightly rounded and have a bumpy surface.
2/16 The leaves begin to unfold
Hachibee: What a transformation! It looks like a completely different plant.
2/23 Leaves begin to cover the ground
Hachibee: It’s stuck flat to the ground.
Misha: It’s like they’re gathering energy for spring.
3/2 The leaves start to appear
Hachibee: Leaves are starting to emerge from the center of the plant. It’s as if they’re proclaiming that it’s March! Spring has come!
3/16 The leaves grow upwards
Hachibee: It felt like it was stuck to the ground, and then all the leaves suddenly started raising their heads in the air.
Misha: Alright, the engine is finally starting.
3/30 The leaves spread upwards
Hachibee: It’s like a green fountain!
Misha: The leaves have grown so big and are so impressive.
4/6 Side buds appear
Hachibee: There it is!
Misha: Healthy Chinese mustards are coming out one after another. Now it’s time to harvest.
4/13 Buds begin to form
Hachibee: Oh, this one is a real bud.
Misha: As soon as the shoots appear, the tower will stand up. So the timing of harvesting the shoots is important.
4/20 flowering
Hachibee: That’s moving so fast! The flowers have already bloomed.
Misha: Beautiful yellow flowers.
4/27 full bloom
Hachibee: It certainly is a cute yellow flower. And I noticed that the shape of the leaves has changed again. Where are those spongy, bumpy leaves?
5/4 Seed clusters begin to form
Hachibee: Once the flowers have finished blooming, the seed clusters are already swelling. That’s quick work.
5/11 The seed cluster begins to swell
Hachibee: They look like beans, like tiny edamame beans.
5/18 The flowers end
Hachibee: The flowers have finished blooming and only the seed clusters remain. This also has a unique shape.
5/25 Seed bunches continue to mature
Hachibee: You can see the seeds growing and getting bigger.
6/1 The seed clusters begin to wither
Hachibee: The color will quickly fade to amber.
Misha: Chinese mustard is very easy to understand just by looking at it.
6/8 Seed Harvesting – The End
Hachibee: Ah, it’s already completely dusk-colored, the seed clusters are opening and the seeds are starting to fall. But the Chinese mustard, the speed at which it changed in the second half was amazing.
Misha: Chinese mustard grows rapidly in the freezing cold season, and from spring onwards, it changes appearance in a variety of ways. I could feel the vitality it has developed in this harsh climate.
~Chinese mustard cultivation tips~
Cultivation difficulty：★★☆☆☆
Hunan mustard is strong and sturdy
It grows lushly in the coldest seasons
and fills the earth with large leaves in spring
Its vitality allows it to produce side shoots, bloom,
and scatter a large number of seeds
Just feel its toughness.
