Field Mustard
Brassica rapa
Also listed as Brassica japonica, Brassica sativa
Also known as Rape, Wild Rape, Rape Mustard
Climate Match for your location
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Field mustard is a cool-season annual or winter annual with yellow four-petaled flowers and upright leafy stems. It thrives in disturbed areas and is commonly found as a volunteer crop or cover crop in agricultural settings.
Why grow it
Field mustard establishes quickly in cool seasons and produces substantial biomass, making it useful as a cover crop or green manure where a fast-growing brassica is needed. It tolerates poor soil and disturbed conditions better than many cultivated brassicas, and its volunteer emergence in agricultural fields suggests reliable self-seeding. Compared to other Brassica cover crops, it requires less fertility amendment but produces less dense leaf biomass than some alternatives.
Watch out for
Field mustard can be allelopathic, potentially inhibiting germination or growth of some companion plants, so allow adequate decomposition time before planting sensitive crops. Like other brassicas, it is susceptible to cabbage moths, flea beetles, and clubroot in successive plantings, so rotate away from the Brassicaceae family for at least three years if disease pressure develops.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Brassicaceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Central Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Flood Tolerance
Deer Resistance
Inferred from USDA browse palatability
pH Range
Soil Texture
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
Field mustard is a cool-season annual or winter annual with yellow four-petaled flowers and upright leafy stems. It thrives in disturbed areas and is commonly found as a volunteer crop or cover crop in agricultural settings.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Field Mustard grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Field mustard establishes quickly in cool seasons and produces substantial biomass, making it useful as a cover crop or green manure where a fast-growing brassica is needed. It tolerates poor soil and disturbed conditions better than many cultivated brassicas, and its volunteer emergence in agricultural fields suggests reliable self-seeding. Compared to other Brassica cover crops, it requires less fertility amendment but produces less dense leaf biomass than some alternatives.
Watch out for
Field mustard can be allelopathic, potentially inhibiting germination or growth of some companion plants, so allow adequate decomposition time before planting sensitive crops. Like other brassicas, it is susceptible to cabbage moths, flea beetles, and clubroot in successive plantings, so rotate away from the Brassicaceae family for at least three years if disease pressure develops.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Brassicaceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Central Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Flood Tolerance
Deer Resistance
Inferred from USDA browse palatability
pH Range
Soil Texture
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
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