How to grow Mizuna in Autumn

How to Grow Mizuna: A Brilliant Autumn Crop for Small Gardens

There is something rather lovely about starting a new crop just as the summer garden begins to slow down.

While the tomatoes are finishing, the courgettes are looking a little exhausted and the last of the summer crops are being harvested, autumn gives us another opportunity to grow fresh food.

And one of my favourites for this time of year is Mizuna.

I have some Mizuna seedlings growing here in The Organic Yarden at the moment, and they are at that lovely stage where they are still tiny but already promising a future harvest of fresh, peppery leaves.

And that's one of the things I love about growing your own food.

A little seed can become something you can actually eat.

What is Mizuna?

Mizuna is a leafy green with delicate, deeply cut leaves and a slightly peppery flavour.

It is particularly useful in an autumn garden because it is a cool-weather crop and can be grown in relatively small spaces.

That makes it a brilliant choice for gardeners who don't have an allotment or a huge vegetable patch.

In fact, you don't need much space at all.

A pot, container, raised bed or sheltered corner can give you somewhere to grow Mizuna.

That fits rather nicely with the whole idea behind The Organic Yarden:

Grow where you are.

Why Grow Mizuna?

There are lots of reasons to give Mizuna a little space in your garden.

It's great for small spaces

Mizuna doesn't need a huge vegetable bed.

You can grow it in containers alongside your other autumn salad crops.

In my own garden, containers are a really important part of how I grow food, so crops like Mizuna are right at home here.

It's a useful autumn crop

Autumn doesn't mean the vegetable garden has finished.

There are still plenty of crops that can be sown and grown as the weather cools.

Mizuna is one of those crops that helps keep fresh leaves coming when some of your summer crops are disappearing.

It is also included in my Autumn in The Organic Yarden growing guide, alongside crops such as spinach, pak choi, winter lettuce, radishes and turnips.

You can harvest the leaves as you need them

Rather than waiting for one enormous harvest, you can pick young leaves as you need them.

That makes leafy greens particularly useful when you're growing food for yourself rather than trying to fill a supermarket shelf.

A few leaves for lunch? Pick them.

Some leaves for dinner? Pick them.

Need something green to make yourself feel like you've got your life together? Mizuna.

When Can You Sow Mizuna?

Mizuna is particularly useful as part of your autumn growing.

The exact sowing window will depend on your variety and local conditions, so always check the seed packet before sowing.

For autumn sowing, you can either direct sow into your growing space or start seeds in modules and plant the young seedlings out once they are established.

That's what I'm doing with my current seedlings here in The Organic Yarden.

Growing Mizuna from Seed

Starting Mizuna from seed is wonderfully straightforward.

Sow your seeds into good-quality seed compost and keep the compost evenly moist while they germinate.

Once the seedlings appear, give them plenty of light.

This is particularly important as the days become shorter because seedlings can become tall and stretched if they are trying to find enough light.

And yes...

I am speaking from experience.

Those little seedlings in my photograph are definitely reaching for the light

My Mizuna Seedlings

These are my current Mizuna seedlings here in The Organic Yarden.

They're still small, but they're growing away nicely.

At this stage, I'm concentrating on giving them:

• Plenty of light

• Moisture without waterlogging

• Good airflow

• Enough space to develop

• Protection from harsh weather

The next step will be getting them established in their growing space.

And this is one of the things I really enjoy about growing from seed.

You get to see the whole process.

Seed → seedling → plant → harvest → plate.

It's gardening and food production rolled into one tiny little adventure.

Where Can You Grow Mizuna?

One of the best things about Mizuna is that you don't need a traditional vegetable garden.

In containers

Mizuna is very happy growing in containers.

Choose a container with drainage holes and use a good growing medium.

Because containers can dry out more quickly than garden soil, keep an eye on moisture levels, particularly during dry spells.

In raised beds

Mizuna can also be grown alongside other autumn vegetables in a raised bed.

You could grow it alongside crops such as spinach, winter lettuce, radishes or turnips.

In a small garden

If you only have a tiny growing space, don't write yourself off as a vegetable gardener.

A few carefully chosen crops can give you a surprising amount of food.

That's something I talk about a lot here at The Organic Yarden because my own garden is proof that you don't need acres of land to grow your own vegetables.

Looking After Mizuna

Once your plants are established, keep them watered when necessary and keep harvesting regularly.

Autumn weather can be unpredictable.

You might have lovely damp conditions one week and dry weather the next.

Don't assume that because it's autumn, your containers don't need watering.

My autumn growing guide includes keeping newly planted crops watered while they establish, because autumn rain isn't always quite as reliable as we'd like.

If you're growing Mizuna in containers, it's particularly worth keeping an eye on them.

Protecting Your Mizuna

One of the joys of growing your own food is discovering that you're not the only creature interested in the harvest.

Garden pests may also discover your lovely young Mizuna.

Keep an eye on young plants and protect them where necessary.

You can also make use of sheltered growing spaces, cold frames or greenhouse space when the weather becomes particularly challenging.

And don't forget that autumn is a great time to think about the garden as an ecosystem rather than simply a collection of crops.

My autumn checklist includes leaving some flowers and seedheads standing where practical because they can provide food and shelter for wildlife.

Not everything has to be tidied away.

Sometimes the messy bits are the useful bits.

How to Harvest Mizuna

Once your plants are established and producing plenty of leaves, you can begin harvesting.

Rather than taking everything at once, pick individual young leaves or harvest a portion of the plant.

This allows you to enjoy a succession of fresh leaves rather than having one giant Mizuna mountain sitting in the kitchen.

And personally, I much prefer growing a little and harvesting as I need it.

It means the garden becomes part of everyday life.

Dinner doesn't start in the supermarket.

Sometimes it starts with you standing outside in your slippers wondering if that leaf is big enough to pick.

How Can You Eat Mizuna?

Mizuna can be used in all sorts of ways.

Try it:

• In fresh salads

• Mixed with other salad leaves

• In sandwiches and wraps

• Stir-fried with other vegetables

• Added to noodle dishes

• Wilted into soups

• Mixed through warm grain bowls

• Added to a simple garden salad

I particularly love the idea of combining Mizuna with other leaves you've grown yourself. A handful of Mizuna, a few spinach leaves, some herbs, and maybe a few radishes.

Suddenly you've got lunch.

Mizuna and the Small-Space Garden

For me, this is where Mizuna really earns its place.

You don't need an enormous vegetable garden to grow food.

My own Organic Yarden is a collection of pots, containers and raised growing space, and crops like Mizuna fit beautifully into that kind of garden.

My autumn guide includes a simple way of matching crops to the space you have available: smaller pots can be used for salad leaves, Mizuna, spinach and radishes, while larger containers can accommodate crops such as pak choi, turnips and winter lettuce.

So if you're sitting there thinking:

"I don't have enough space to grow vegetables."

Have another look around.

You might have more growing space than you think.

• A sunny corner.

• A few pots.

• A balcony.

• A courtyard.

• A raised bed.

• A windowsill for starting seedlings.

You don't need a perfect garden.

You just need somewhere to begin.

From Tiny Seedling to Lunch

That's really what I love about growing Mizuna.

Right now, I have a tray of tiny seedlings.

They don't look like much.

But give them a little time, some light, water and care, and they'll become part of my autumn harvest.

That's the magic of growing your own food.

You don't need a huge garden.

You don't need fancy equipment.

And you certainly don't need to be a perfect gardener.

You just need to start.

Keep growing. Grow where you are. Grow what you can.

Want More Autumn Growing Ideas?

If you're planning your autumn garden, I've put together my Autumn in The Organic Yarden — What to Plant, Sow & Grow guide.

It covers crops to sow, crops to plant, growing in containers and an autumn garden checklist. The guide is designed specifically around making the most of small growing spaces.

Read the full Autumn Growing Guide → HERE

And then go and sow something.

Maybe How to Grow Musselburgh Leeks: A Winter Essential for Your Garden or 

Growing Kale and Radicchio in Autumn  

Even if it's just one pot.

Because one pot is still a garden.