This is the third installment in a series about my experiences growing Asian vegetables. You can find the other articles by clicking on the tag “Growing Asian Vegetables” at the bottom of this post.
In her book “Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook”, Joy Larkcom says she is tempted to give komatsuna the ‘most underrated vegetable award’. I couldn’t agree more. This leafy, tasty relative of the turnip has quickly become one of my favorite greens. But up until a couple of years ago, I had never even heard of it.
This unassuming green is sometimes called Mustard Spinach, and the Japanese have likely grown it since ancient times. Modern taxonomists usually call it either Brassica rapa var. perviridis or B.r. var. komatsuna. It is considered a biennial, though first year plants can bloom if stressed.
harvested komatsuna plants (click on any image to enlarge)
It’s hardy enough to survive our zone 6b winters protected by a cold frame, usually without the slightest bit of damage. The freezing temps only seem to make it taste sweeter. And speaking of taste, komatsuna has a mild flavor somewhere between mustard and cabbage, not as strong tasting as its earthier turnip green cousins.
komatsuna protected by cold frame
Seed can be sown in place where plants are to be grown, or started indoors like I usually do to get a jump on growing. Most varieties will get pretty big, from 12-18 inches tall, but growth is mostly upright so plants can be grown fairly close together if space is limited. The spacing will depend on how large you want the plants to grow. Sow or plant thickly for small plants (2-4” apart) or farther apart (6-12”) if you plan on letting the plants get larger. A 6” spacing works well for me, with plants getting about a foot tall and almost as wide. The fast-growing plants appreciate a fertile soil and plenty of moisture.
komatsuna seedlings
Flea beetles can be a problem, and sometimes caterpillars will munch on the leaves too. Floating row cover will keep both of those pests away, while Bt will also control the caterpillars. Iron phosphate pellets (like Sluggo) can be used to control slugs and snails.
There are several hybrid varieties of komatsuna available, including Summerfest and Torasan, as well as open-pollinated selections. There is also a red leafed hybrid available that was developed primarily for baby greens and salad mixes. Though Summerfest may be preferred for warm season plantings, it has also proven to be quite winter hardy here as well, so don’t let the name fool you.
harvested komatsuna leaves
Komatsuna has also been crossed with other brassicas to produce some unique varieties. Green Boy hybrid has long slender leaf stalks and is reported to be a cross between komatsuna and a green stem pak choi. Misome hybrids were created by crossing komatsuna with tatsoi. And Senposai hybrids are the result of a komatsuna cross with regular heading cabbage.
Komatsuna ‘Green Boy’
Like many other Asian greens, komatsuna can be used at any stage, from baby leaves on up to mature leaves that can be a foot or more long. Leaves can be harvested individually as needed, or the whole plant can be cut. The leaves will resprout from the roots after cutting, and usually at least two cuttings can be made before rejuvenating the soil and replanting is necessary.
komatsuna plants after harvesting outer leaves
The leaves can be cooked by all the methods usually used for Asian greens: steaming, stir-frying, boiling in a small amount of water, or added to soups. In Japan, leaves are also pickled. And the baby leaves can be eaten raw in salads.
stir-fried komatsuna and mushrooms
If you are looking for an all-season green that is easy to grow, tasty, and nutritious, you might want to give komatsuna a try. Who knows, it may wind up being one of your favorite greens too. I’ll be back soon with the next installment highlighting another Asian vegetable. Until then, happy growing!
What a beautiful plant. I am really going to focus more attention on Asian greens like this in next years garden…wish me luck. Looks like Amazon has a few good deals on “Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook” in their “used” section, I might have to get myself and early Christmas present.:)
With as much experience as you all have, you won’t need much luck with the Asian greens. And that book is the best I have found on the subject so far.
I am not a fan of mustards. But komatsuna is the only mustard that I like so far. There are very easy to grow. Good cold season vegetable.
This is one Asian veggie that I have yet to grow. Right now I have some Pak Choi, Baby Choi and Tatsoi growing in the cold frames. We just love those Asian veggies!
Sounds like you’re doing great!
I love asian greens. They are one of my favorite veggies this year. We are newer to gardening and have tried a bok and pak choy. Both of which did reasonably well in the greenhouse. When planted outside they quickly bolt. How have these held up against that? I could really use a green that is not going to go to seed on me. We are also in a zone 6.
Found your blog after Mr. H at subsistence pattern mentioned your blog. Looks really great! Enjoying your topics.
Many of the Asian greens are quick to bolt in spring, but fall planted ones don’t usually bloom until the following spring. When bolting is an issue I grow a pak choi like Mei Qing that is good in all seasons. As for Chinese cabbage/bok choy, it is notoriously finicky. I usually grow a ‘non heading’ Chinese cabbage like Fun Jen or Tokyo Bekana instead, which are much easier to grow.
Komatsuna is less likely to bolt than others in my experience, but then I don’t usually grow it in summer either. Timing is always an issue with these greens, so it pays to experiment and keep records as to what works and what doesn’t.
Thanks for stopping by!
That’s great information. Thanks for the quick response. I will have to reference this post when we do our seed order next month.
Thanks for the growing tips! What serendipity — we just brought home a bunch of komatsuna from the farmers’ market to try out, and sauteed them up with some oyster mushrooms. Delicious alongside some homemade winter squash gnocchi with sage pesto. Looking forward to the next installment…
I am not a huge fan of turnip greens or mustards – but it sounds like this plant has the better qualities of those items without the taste that many of us find too strong/bitter. I would love to try some before growing it – but will likely just have to grow a small patch to try it out myself. Thanks for the info – learned lots about this interesting plant.
Try the variety Carlton for an easy to grow and very tasty mustard green.
Hi Mike, I’ve actually grown Carlton and it is very tasty and productive!