Growing Mitsuba - Benefits and Instructions
Benefits of Growing Mitsuba
-
Medicinal- All parts of the mitsuba plant are edible and have a wide variety of medicinal uses including; relaxing tense muscles, fight osteoporosis, help control blood pressure, stress relief, relieve cough and cold symtoms.
- Nutritional Profile - Vitamin A,K, Beta carotene, calcium and potassium.
-
Use in: Soups, stews, vegetable and meat dishes
Growing Instructions
Culture:
Sun Exposure: Shade or partial shade.
Soil: Will tolerate most soil types as long as its well draining. Requires plenty of fertilizer and mulching during the growing season. Benefits from mulching to retain moisture.
Moisture: Water mitsuba well. It likes constantly moist soil, but not wet feet. If the mitsuba is in a container, don’t allow the medium to dry out.
Planting: Direct sow after all dangers of frost have past in early spring. Sow every six weeks for continuous supply
Spacing: Plant 4 mitsuba plants per square foot of growing space using Square Foot Gardening Method. Or plant in rows 6 inches apart.
Sow seeds: Sow 1⁄4 inch deep
Harvesting:
When the mitsuba plant is about 8 to 10 inches tall, cut across the plant at the soil level. The plant will grow more stems. The larger the leaves get, the more bitter they become, so don’t wait too long to harvest.
Storage/Preparation:
Fresh mitsuba still on its stems can be put in a jar of water like a bouquet of flowers and kept in the refrigerator. Or, the bunch, stems or not, can be wrapped in a damp paper towel and kept in the cooler's crisper drawer. It will last about a week depending on how fresh it was when it was harvested.
Companions:
Cilantro, bee balm, violets. Mitsuba can also be planted with hostas and border phlox, or any plants that like shady moist conditions.