Crops › Mizuna
How to grow Mizuna
in the UK
Sow March to August, plant out September, harvest May to October. About 40 days from seed to plate.
Mizuna's a cracker for the salad bowl, dead easy to grow too. It's proper fast, so you can keep picking it all season long from your plot or even a pot.
Sowing
Sow from March right through to August, a little bit every few weeks for a steady supply, you know. You can start 'em indoors on the windowsill or in a cold frame in March and April, then direct sow outside once the soil warms up a bit from May onwards. Just make a shallow drill, about 1 cm deep, and sprinkle the seeds thinly, then cover 'em gently. Give 'em about 15 cm between plants if you're growing for bigger leaves, or closer for baby leaf. Keep the soil moist, and they'll be up in no time.
Growing on
If you've started seeds indoors, prick 'em out gently when they're big enough to handle, into individual small pots or modules. They're pretty hardy, but give 'em a good week or two to harden off outside before planting 'em out properly. You'll want to space 'em about 15-20 cm apart in the ground, or you can grow a few in a decent-sized container on the patio. They don't need any support, just room to spread a bit.
Looking after it
Mizuna likes consistent moisture, so water regularly, especially in dry spells. If they dry out, they can bolt quick, which means they go to seed. A bit of general purpose feed once or twice through the season won't hurt, especially if they're in pots. No need for fancy stuff or pinching out, just keep an eye on them.
What goes wrong
The main bother you'll get is flea beetle, they make tiny holes in the leaves, especially in dry weather. Slugs like mizuna too, you know. Keeping 'em well-watered helps with the flea beetle, and for slugs, well, you know the drill – whatever works on your plot. A bit of mesh can keep the beetles off if they're a real problem.
Harvest
You'll be harvesting in about 40 days from sowing, sometimes even quicker. Just snip off the outer leaves with scissors, leaving the centre to grow on – that's the cut-and-come-again magic, like I say. They're best used fresh in salads, don't keep 'em hanging about too long or they'll go limp. Keep picking regularly, it encourages more growth.
I always sow a bit of mizuna between my rows of slower-growing lettuce, that way I get a quick harvest while the others are still getting going. It's a proper space saver and means less bare soil for the slugs.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Green Mizuna Feathery leaves. | No club votes yet |
| Red Mizuna Purple tinged. | No club votes yet |
| Kyona Traditional variety. | No club votes yet |
| Purple Mizuna Deep purple. | No club votes yet |
| Early Mizuna Quick growing. | No club votes yet |
| Waido Large leaved. | No club votes yet |
| Tokyo Beau Vigorous green mizuna. | No club votes yet |
| Red Knight Red-purple, bolt resistant. | No club votes yet |
| Mizuna Mustard Spicier than regular. | No club votes yet |
| Mibuna Strap-like leaves. | No club votes yet |
| Pizzo Quick, cut-and-come-again. | No club votes yet |
| Vitamin Green Large, high yielding. | No club votes yet |
| Red Streaks Green with red veins. | No club votes yet |
| Mizuna Mix Green and red mixed. | No club votes yet |
| Winter Mizuna Extra hardy, slower bolt. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Mizuna seeds
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Cook the harvest
A quick, vibrant Cantonese-inspired stir-fry where mizuna is wilted just enough to keep its peppery bite alongside sweet, juicy prawns and a glossy ginger and rice wine sauce. The whole thing comes together in under 25 minutes and tastes genuinely fresh — the kind of weeknight dinner that makes you glad you grew something in the garden. Serve straight from the wok over steamed jasmine rice.
22 min · easyA bold, punchy noodle salad that lets mizuna's peppery bite cut right through a rich sesame and soy dressing. The leaves wilt just slightly when tossed with the warm noodles, turning silky at the edges while keeping their character. This is the kind of lunch you make on a hot July day when the mizuna is bolting and you want something substantial but not stodgy.
25 min · easyA proper restaurant-quality salad that belongs on a weeknight table. Sliced pink duck breast rests on a generous pile of mizuna dressed in a blood orange and sherry vinegar vinaigrette, with toasted walnuts for crunch and richness. The peppery bitterness of mizuna is the ideal counterpoint to fatty duck — it lifts the whole dish and stops it from feeling heavy.
35 min · mediumA deeply comforting bowl that is on the table in under twenty minutes and somehow feels both restorative and elegant. Clouds of silken tofu bob in a clean dashi-based broth, with a generous tangle of mizuna stirred in at the last second so the leaves stay bright and just barely wilted. The mizuna's peppery edge sharpens the sweet, umami depth of the white miso beautifully.
18 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Questions people ask
When do you sow Mizuna in the UK?
Sow Mizuna from March to August. Plant out September, after the last frost.
How long does Mizuna take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 40 days, with the harvest May to October.
Which Mizuna varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Green Mizuna, Red Mizuna, Kyona, Purple Mizuna and more.
Track your Mizuna from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.