someone at my local agricultural store recently alerted me to mustard greens. something I've grown before, albeit in not great quantities becasue well it's so strong! It is supposedly credited with anti nematode and anti fungal activity. I haven't done the research yet but have planted a mixed green crop of lucerne and mustard greens in my orchard. The soils we have om our plot are bauxite, extremallyacid, high in iron and aluminium and poor in other minerals. The very low ph (3-4) limits nutrient availability. Australian soils and in particular Western Australian soils, have some of the lowest extent and biodiversity of mycorrhizum in the world. Additionaly the fungal disease of dieback is moderately prevalent here. These factors mean I have to get my soils as wholistically balanced as possible in order not to invite pests and disease in my plants. So the lucerne will establish some bacterial activity, mainly nitrogen fixing, but it all adds up, and the mustard greens will hopefully exhibit their anti fungal and anti nematode effects to great benefit. Interestingly enough also, I found some research that linked the mycorrhiza associated with lucerne protective against dieback. Once again to provide the nothing in nature occurs in isolation. It is of course heavily mulched and a current wonderful plethora of life is under there rooting away but I know how dry it will get soon enough It will get hoed in or hopefully I'll get chooks soon enough to help me with this task. i hope someone can take something from my experiences here
I've never before heard anything about mustard greens being anti-fungal or that nematodes don't like them. But, it's good to hear that even though I'll need to do more research. Here in the desert Southwest I use mustard, collards and chard for cover crops in some of my vegetable garden beds. They grow all winter and I just turn them back in. The seed is very cheap because I pick it up at the Dollar store (3 packets/$1). In the smaller beds(2 X 6'),I just cut them with knife, chop it all up with a chef's knife and dig them back into the beds. I wait about two weeks then plant.
thanks for your reply. I've grown them before but onlyfor culinary useful, not as a green crop. I haven;t done the research yet either. But it was good to hear of your uses for them, i was wondering how long after turning in I would plant in them. Also will be getting chooks soon who will get to forage happily under the fruit trees and i am sure that if they eat much of it the taste or other properties will be reflected in egg taste. What's it the weather like in Texas? I don't really understand American temperature zone classifications, i find them a bit limited as they only described on end of the temperature range and don't comment on rainfall patterns or any other climatic variables. Here in Australia, a large place, i have come from the east to the west, and both climates are classed as 'cool temperate' but what you can grow here is drastically dictated by climate, and that differs quite a lot from Melbourne (east). Thanks, good to hear of your experiences
I plant about 2 weeks after turning the greens under whether I'm planting in a raised bed or in-ground bed. In the raised beds I chop this stuff up fine with a chef's knife. Maybe a 1/2" pieces. In winter, I just let the mustard grow until I want the space for something else in the Spring. As I say I haven't done the research but I noticed recently that one of my seed catalogs carries "agricultural mustard" intended to be used as a cover crop. Is that better than just buying the cheap mustard seed? I really don't know. The temperatures here in my part of Southern Arizona are the same as Tucson during the day but it's 10 to 15 degrees cooler at night. We get frost in winter while Tucson rarely gets freezing weather. When we get freezing temperatures, everything thaws by afternoon. Summers are harsh. It's over 90 everyday and over 100 degrees many days--most days this summer. A couple of my neighbors used to chuckle at me for using weeds in my compost and as mulch. But they aren't laughing now. They are marveling at my tomatoes, peppers and squash. We desert dwellers can't be picky. If it's free and green and doesn't have thorns, I'll use it--well anything but Bermuda grass. But that's another subject.
Wow your garden sounds amazing! Your cliamte sounds v similar ot here but maybe not quite as cold, although we do get frosts, it's generally gone by early- mid morn. days are a consistent 30- 45 degrees c ( 86- 125 faherenheit int he day every day from november to May, but it cools off comforatably at night, nice for humans and plants ailke. I'm glad we get some lower night temperatures because I am growing tulips etc as well as some ariseum and other things that need tohe coller dormancy so don't mind the cold at all. goos weed work- they are the super green survivors of the plant kingdom, must have some goodness to pass on, and in the garden more than anywhere- waste not, want not. love your work
