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Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
  • Maruba Santoh
Maruba Santoh

Brassica rapa
$4.50
Description

We first learned about Maruba Santoh through a Virginia-based gardening blog while searching for a diversity of greens that would thrive here. We loved it so much that we’ve grown it every year since, and it’s now become a household name among local gardeners who appreciate it for its ease of growth, abundant greens, and versatility.

It’s a beautiful plant, with soft, tender, rounded chartreuse leaves that form a loose, semi-heading shape. The flavor is excellent: a mild mustard that’s not spicy or bitter at all, but has flavor unlike lettuce (sorry, lettuce, but it’s true!).

The flat white stems are juicy and crisp, with a flavor reminiscent of pak choi. It’s delicious fresh, cooked, and added to just about anything that needs some greens.

This one has earned a permanent place in our garden. It grows beautifully, produces abundantly, and a joy to eat! 
Product details
  • 100 seeds
  • 35 days to harvest
  • Seeds grown at Timothy Noyes' garden in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Brassicas do best in cooler weather, although many varieties can easily handle the warm spells we often get during Florida winters. In North Florida, you can plant brassicas anytime from August through February, depending on the crop and the weather.

Direct sow or transplant seedlings ¼ inch deep or less, with plants spaced about 10–18 inches apart. Brassicas are generally heavy feeders and will grow best in fertile, healthy soil. Add compost or other organic fertilizers as needed, keep the soil covered with a thick layer of leafy mulch, and water regularly during extended dry periods.

Many brassicas can be harvested leaf-by-leaf throughout the season. Pick the larger outer leaves while leaving the younger leaves growing in the center, and the plant can continue producing for quite a long time. Some varieties can also be harvested as a whole plant and may re-grow after cutting.

If you eat a lot of brassicas, consider succession planting—starting new seeds or transplants several times throughout the growing season. This keeps a steady supply of young, productive plants coming along as older plants begin to slow down.
How to save seeds

Brassicas are very easy to save seed from, but there’s a catch: they take a long time to mature for seed—up to 7 months! This is much longer than the quick harvest time we’re used to with their leafy greens. During this long growing period, plants still need regular care and can become more susceptible to insects and disease. Brassicas can also become very tall and heavy with seed pods, so staking may be necessary to keep plants upright and prevent them from flopping over.

Brassicas are highly out-crossing, meaning they naturally prefer to cross-pollinate with other plants rather than pollinating themselves. Having many plants flowering at the same time helps maintain good genetic diversity. While you can save seed from just a few plants for a season or two, consistently saving seed from a small population can lead to inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity over time, which can affect the health and resilience of your crop.

Brassicas within the same species can cross-pollinate if they are flowering at the same time. Brassica rapa is a diverse group of vegetables and if you are growing more than one type and they flower at the same time, they will most certainly cross. This is only a concern if you are attempting to preserve a specific variety.

After flowering and pollination, small green seed pods will form and gradually swell, dry, and turn brown. Ideally, let the pods mature and dry on the plant for as long as possible, provided they aren’t getting excessively rained on or developing mold. If wet weather threatens your seed crop, harvest earlier by cutting the seed-bearing stems, or the entire plant, and bring them indoors to finish maturing and drying.

For long-term seed saving, we recommend having at least 20 plants flowering when you collect seed. More is even better! When growing specifically for seed, we often grow 80–200+ plants to maintain a broad and healthy gene pool.

If growing that many plants isn't practical for your garden, don't worry! You can simply let a few plants flower and provide a valuable food source for bees and other pollinators, then cut them back once they're finished flowering.

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