Today I want to talk to you about this plant. Mustard is an extremely interesting plant in agriculture. In fact, it is used as green manure and can also be used to prepare mustard in seasoning or seasonal preserves, such as pickles, for example.
Characteristics
Name: white mustard (there are other varieties)
Scientific name: Sinapis alba
Family: Brassicaceae
Origin: North Africa, the Middle East and Europe
mustard is not breadmaker. Also, it's better ... A bread made with mustard flour would certainly kill you!
Preparation of the soil before planting
The mustard leaves well in any soil, even very poor. As a green fertilizer, it even has the peculiarity of fertilizing the soil by providing nitrogen.
Mustard does not really fear weeds because it grows very fast and therefore occupies the soil before other plants settle. A quick dig is enough.
When to sow mustard?
Sow mustard on the fly, throughout the summer season from May to September. Cover the seeds if necessary by passing the rake.
In general, mustard is sown just after the harvest of vegetables August / September. By quickly occupying the soil, it limits the invasion of weeds and the leaching of the soil during the winter.
The different stages of mustard cultivation
Mustard germinates and grows very fast. It can reach 50 to 80 cm, its adult size, in just one month if the conditions are favorable. It takes more than 2 months to mature.
Mustard is a honey plant, which will encourage pollination in your garden.
When to harvest mustard?
Depending on its purpose, the mustard will not be harvested at the same time.
If you want to improve your soil, do not wait until the pods containing the seeds are formed. The mustard will squeeze again ... Cut it and bury it deeply just before flowering, when it is still "tender". It will decompose better.
If winter comes, leave the cut stems on the ground, this will protect the underground life a bit and encourage the earthworms to climb to ventilate the soil of your garden. This will also prevent the regrowth of weeds.
However, if your goal is to harvest the mustard seeds, wait until the pods are forming and are busy and then break them when it dries. Just pinch with your fingers to explode and release the seeds.
During this operation, be careful not to crush too many mustard seeds. The powerful mustard smell that emerges could bother you.