How mustard seed is grown

A mustard seed can be as little as 1 millimeter across and yet close to half oil by weight.

stations: 3
things downstream: 3

The short version

Mustard seed comes from three plants: black, brown and white mustard. The seeds are 1 to 2 millimeters across and can be nearly half oil by weight. Farmers in cool, temperate regions sow it as a specialty crop, and the plants flower for a few weeks before the seed is harvested and dried.

Sow in cool, moist soil

Seeds germinate in eight to ten days when the soil is cold and damp. Mustard prefers temperate regions, and Canada and the northern United States are big growers.
Flower and set seed

Buds appear about five weeks after seedlings emerge and the plant reaches full bloom a week or so later. A longer bloom gives a bigger seed yield.

85 to 95 days to maturity
Cut and dry the crop

Growers harvest when the plant matures, then dry and clean the seed. The seed comes yellowish white to black depending on the plant, and the black seed is the smallest.

End of the lineMustard seed Next it goes into mustard, pickles.

Worth repeating

In South Asia the seeds are fried in oil until they pop before going into a dish.
In 2021 Nepal grew the most mustard seed in the world, ahead of Russia and Canada.