Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach)

Vegetable gardeners always try to grow plants that can meet their kitchen needs as much as possible. However, many crops are unable to provide sufficient yields in gardens. Komatsuna is NOT one of these crops. With its ability to be grown in a wide variety of soil types, container sizes and sunlight availabilities, komatsuna is a sure shot

Unlike regular mustard and spinach, which are famous for becoming bitter and bolting (flowering) if conditions become a bit too hot, komatsuna rarely flowers in the first few months of its life and can tank through dry and hot summers without much issue.

Komatsuna is in essence a variety of mustard (sarson) which most indian households are already familiar with. Asian restaurants will have a high demand for this succulent leafy green, which is ideal for stir frying and using in soups. Additionally komatsuna leaves can be dried and powdered to make a good base for vegetable soups (similar to dried seaweed).

As a quick growing crop, Komatsuna can also be used as a as a source of fresh fodder for livestock. Similarly, It can be used as a green manure crop or a source of green material for compost, to increase soil fertility. As a mustard variety, the seeds of komatsuna can be used in place of mustard seeds

As a member of the mustard family, komatsuna roots have the potential to secrete allelopathic compounds, which act as natural weed suppressants. Other compounds commonly found in mustard family crops also have the potential to reduce and repel soil pests, such as nematodes and fungal diseases.

Due to its rapid growth rate, komatsuna can be grown as a short term green manure crop. In this case, komatsuna can be sowed very densely. Depending on the duration of the green manure crop, the first batch of leaves (~30 days) can be harvested for use or sale, and the next batch (~45 days) can be tilled into the soil to add organic matter. In no-till systems, the leaves can be harvested to add as green material to compost piles, and then returned to the soil as organic matter. Harvesting below the growing tip allows the plant to be terminated without uprooting the plants, the roots will remain in the soil and decompose in-situ.

As a member of the mustard family, komatsuna roots have the potential to secrete allelopathic compounds, which act as natural weed suppressants and so can help avoid harmful chemical herbicides. Other compounds commonly found in mustard family crops also have the potential to suppress soil borne diseases like root knot nematodes. 

Komatsuna, when direct seeded, grows a deep taproot that can access nutrients from deeper in the soil. As a member of the brassica or mustard family, they are also considered crops that prefer bacterially dominated soils. Depleted, and overexploited lands, with high erosion and low organic matter, are often bacterially dominated, therefore crops like komatsuna outperform many other crop types in these conditions. They can therefore be good pioneer crops that allow for harvests, while such land is being restored and made into healthier soils (balance between bacteria and fungi is restored).

Due to its rapid growth rate, komatsuna can be grown as a short term green manure crop. In this case, komatsuna can be sowed very densely. Depending on the duration of the green manure crop, the first batch of leaves (~30 days) can be harvested for use or sale, and the next batch (~45 days) can be tilled into the soil to add organic matter. In no-till systems, the leaves can be harvested to add as green material to compost piles, and then returned to the soil as organic matter. Harvesting below the growing tip allows the plant to be terminated without uprooting the plants, the roots will remain in the soil and decompose in-situ.