LITTLE ROCK — You may not know plants like tatsoi and red giant now, but once you try these mustards you will forever be hooked. The cool-season landscape can be extraordinarily beautiful and edible if you plan your combinations carefully.
Flowering kale and cabbage have long held the throne as pansy partners but now these new plants are causing a stir as their culinary purposes go far beyond the decorative garnish.
The first I mentioned, tatsoi, not only offers a unique appearance but also has wonderful flavor. Its botanical name, Brassica rapa, indicates that it is related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. But it is exotically different. Though it is a rare plant at most garden centers, it is very easy to find in seed catalogs.
Tatsoi forms wheel-like rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves that are packed with flavor - mild, but perfect for salads or in a stir-fry recipe. It becomes quite apparent how it garnered the common name of spoon mustard. These rosettes grow to 12 inches widebut less than six inches high. It’s this short stature and cold-hardiness (to 15 degrees) that allow the mustard to be grown with cool season annual color.
As diminutive tatsoi is, red giant mustard is a bit gaudy. It makes a dramatic statement in the flower border with its 16-inch-long, arching maroon leaves. The plant can easily form a 16-by-16-inch clump.
When you buy transplants in the fall they look green, but when temperatures get below 60 degrees, the burgundy red begins to develop. Colderweather further enhances the beauty of the foliage. It allows many choices for companion plants like pansies and snapdragons. Also consider that red giant is tasty when cooked, just like other mustard greens.
Select a site in full sun with fertile soil. Amend tight, heavy clay with compost or humus. Also incorporate two pounds of a slow-release, 12-6-6-fertilizer with minor nutrients per 100 square feet of garden. Set transplants of tatsoi 8 inches apart and red giant 12 to 18 inches apart. Add a layer of mulch.
HomeStyle, Pages 42 on 11/27/2010