Seeds of Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba)
Yellow mustard from seed
Yellow or white mustard has pale, mild seeds that are ground for table mustard and used whole in pickles. The plant is a quick annual reaching about 70 cm, with rough lobed leaves and yellow flowers loved by bees and hoverflies. In Europe it is also a familiar cover crop, sown to smother weeds and feed the soil.
Height
up to about 70 cm
Seed
beige to light brown, 1.0-1.5 mm
Germination test
20/30 °C, first count day 3, final day 7 (ISTA)
Pollination
needs cross-pollination by insects
Ships from our partner warehouse in India: dispatch within 1 business day, delivery in 7-21 business days. Shipping €6.90, free from €69. See delivery details and the refund and return policy.
How to sow
- Sow direct from spring, about 1 cm deep, in any reasonable soil in sun.
- It is one of the fastest seeds you can grow: in standard tests the first seedlings are counted on day three.
- It is a long-day plant, so summer sowings run to flower quickly, which suits a cover crop but shortens the leaf season.
Growing in Europe
For seed, sow a small block rather than a single plant: yellow mustard is self-incompatible and needs insects to carry pollen between plants. For green manure, sow thickly in late summer and dig it in before it sets seed. The vigorous growth suppresses weeds, and it has a reputation for resisting sugar beet cyst nematode.
Questions
Why does my yellow mustard flower so fast?
It is a long-day plant; sown in summer it flowers quickly. Sow in spring for more leaf and a fuller seed crop.
Can one plant of yellow mustard set seed alone?
Rarely. It needs cross-pollination by insects, so grow a group of plants.
Can yellow mustard be used as green manure?
Yes. It grows fast and suppresses weeds; dig it in before the seed ripens.