Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard — variety description

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a biennial herb of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Garlic Mustard is an attractive modest plant with leaves that smell of garlic when crushed, and heads of small white flowers in spring.

Reaches a height of up to 120 cm. The plant is used as a seasoning in place of garlic.

Thanks to its valuable chemical composition, garlic mustard has antiparasitic, anti-scorbutic, expectorant, diaphoretic, diuretic, anti-asthmatic, antiseptic, wound-healing, laxative, urinary-stimulating, emollient and cough-relieving effects.

Garlic mustard is a woodland herb with a garlic flavour: the young leaves are eaten in salads.

Key features

• Pack size: 0.1 g
• Sowing: March and April; direct in autumn or with cold stratification
• Flowering: April and May
• Harvest: May – July
• Position: partial shade or shade

When to sow Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard seeds are sown in March and April. The plants flower in April and May. The crop is harvested from May to July. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Garlic Mustard

• Sowing method: direct in autumn or with cold stratification
• Depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Spacing: 30–40 cm
• Germination: 3–6 weeks; the seeds need cold
• Position: partial shade or shade

Sow indoors at any time. It is best sown directly from March to May or in autumn. Surface sow onto moist, well-drained seed compost. Cover the seed with soil to its own depth. The ideal temperature for germination is 20°C for 2-4 weeks, followed by cold stratification. Move to 4°C for 5-6 weeks, then return to a warm place for germination. If sown directly, the natural winter cold will provide ideal conditions for germination when the weather warms up in spring. Indoor seedlings can be transplanted when they are large enough to handle, at 8 cm. pots. Acclimatise and plant out after the danger of frost has passed. The leaves and stems are collected during flowering (April – May) in dry weather, and the seeds after they ripen (June–July). Garlic mustard leaves are picked with or without their stalks. You should know that the juicy stalks slow down further processing of the raw material, which is drying. Do not collect stems that have finished flowering or have been eaten by pests. Dry in airy rooms in a thin layer or in a dryer at up to 40 degrees.

Sow in autumn in partial shade.

Harvest and use

The leaves are picked in spring.

Frequently asked questions

When should Garlic Mustard be sown?

The recommended sowing months are March and April. Sowing method: direct in autumn or with cold stratification.