🌿 Savanna Mustard

What it looks like

Photos show the species (Brassica juncea), since no cultivar-specific photo verified for this variety — the species photos above are already hosted on this site and attributed as on the species guide.

Why this variety

Savanna — spelled Savanna in most seed catalogs, Savannah in others; same mustard — is the hybrid answer to the classic Southern broadleaf. It makes large, glossy, dark green leaves with a flavor closer to spinach-mild than to the full peppery blast of curled mustards, which makes it the mustard for cooks who want green flavor without a dare.

Speed is the other selling point: baby leaves in about 20 days, full leaves in about 35, and a plant bred to be vigorous, slow to bolt, and tolerant of both heat and cold. In Florida that means a longer useful window on both ends of the cool season than most mustards manage.

How to grow

Sow Savanna from September through March in Florida, in succession every 2–3 weeks for a continuous supply. Direct-sow 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and thin to the spacing in the hero stats — tight for baby leaf, wider for full-size leaves. Mustard germinates fast in warm soil, so do not overthink it; sow, water, and get out of the way.

Florida’s sandy soil is the real opponent here, not the cold. Sand has almost no cation exchange capacity — it cannot hold onto calcium, magnesium, or potassium the way clay can — so work in several inches of compost and worm castings before planting and mulch thickly. The compost is not just food; it is the soil’s memory, holding water and nutrients long enough for roots to actually use them. Mustard is forgiving about soil, but it still wants the pH in the hero stats and compost in the bed — sand without organic matter grows mustard that bolts at the first warm day.

Water & feeding

Water evenly, about an inch a week; mustard turns hot and tough when drought-stressed, and mild and lush when watered. Mulch lightly to hold moisture without smothering the crowns.

Feed modestly: castings or compost at planting, then a light side-dress of balanced organic fertilizer or compost tea every 3–4 weeks while it is actively cutting. Leaf crops are nitrogen-hungry, but overfeeding with fast nitrogen grows soft, pest-magnetic leaves. Slow and steady wins the leaf race.

Common problems

• Aphids — cluster on undersides and new growth; blast with water, encourage lady beetles, and keep plants unstressed.
• Cabbage worms and loopers — the white butterfly’s children; hand-pick or use Bt, and row cover at transplant keeps the moths off entirely.
• Flea beetles — tiny shot-holes in young leaves; row cover early, mulch, and keep seedlings vigorous so they outgrow the damage.
• Bolting in a warm snap — a late-winter heat wave can push flower stalks; harvest hard before it, and treat bolted plants as done — the leaves turn bitter fast.

Harvest

Pick baby leaves from about 20 days, or cut outer leaves at about 35 days, always leaving the center growing point to push new leaves. Cut-and-come-again picking keeps one planting productive for weeks; once the center stem starts elongating, harvest the whole plant — it is bolting, and the leaves will turn sharp fast.

Mustard keeps about a week in the fridge in a bag, and cooks down like spinach with a peppery edge. Blanch and freeze surplus for soups and pot likker.

Saving seeds

Savanna — spelled Savanna in most seed catalogs, Savannah in others; same mustard — is the hybrid answer to the classic Southern broadleaf. It makes large, glossy, dark green leaves with a flavor closer to spinach-mild than to the full peppery blast of curled mustards, which makes it the mustard for cooks who want green flavor without a dare. Speed is the other selling point: baby leaves in about 20 days, full leaves in about 35, and a plant bred to be vigorous, slow to bolt, and tolerant of both heat and cold. As a hybrid it does not come true from seed: saved seed would give you variable mustards, not another vigorous, slow-bolting Savanna. Sow Savanna from September through March in Florida, in succession every 2–3 weeks for a continuous supply. Direct-sow 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and thin to the spacing in the hero stats. The full method is in the Saving seeds section of the Mustard Greens guide.