Elegance Greens Mix
Brassica spp.
Wikimedia Commons
Colors range from dark- and bronze-red to shades of green. The combination of flavors and textures makes this a beautiful salad. This mix includes pac choi, red mustard, and mizuna. Varieties are subject to change depending upon availability.
Harvest
21d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Zones
6–9
USDA hardiness
Height
0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Elegance Greens Mix in USDA Zone 7
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Elegance Greens Mix · Zones 6–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | June – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | June – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | May – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | May – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | April – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | April – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | March – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | February – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | February – December |
Succession Planting
Direct sow every 14 days starting March 1 in zone 7, continuing through early May. Once daytime highs reliably hit 80°F, this mix turns bitter and bolts fast — most brassica greens lose palatability well before they flower, so don't push it. Resume sowings in mid-August; soil temps above 75°F can slow germination, so water the bed down the evening before you sow to cool it slightly. An August 15 sowing typically reaches the 21-day cutting stage by early September, and you can keep cutting through November before a hard freeze ends the run.
Complete Growing Guide
Colors range from dark- and bronze-red to shades of green. The combination of flavors and textures makes this a beautiful salad. This mix includes pac choi, red mustard, and mizuna. Varieties are subject to change depending upon availability. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Elegance Greens Mix is 21 days to maturity, annual, open pollinated. Notable features: Easy Choice.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Elegance Greens Mix reaches harvest at 21 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Spring, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Harvest Elegance Greens Mix at peak tenderness around day 21, then refrigerate immediately at 32–40°F in a perforated plastic bag or breathable container to maintain 95% humidity without trapping excess moisture. Fresh greens stay crisp for 7–10 days when kept dry and cold. While freezing isn't ideal for raw salads, blanch leaves briefly (90 seconds), shock in ice water, pat dry, and freeze in vacuum-sealed bags for up to three months—useful for cooked applications like soups or stir-fries. Fermentation works exceptionally well with the Brassica component; try quick pickling the thicker leaves in a 3% salt brine for tangy condiments lasting several weeks in the refrigerator. A gardener's trick: separate tender lettuce leaves from sturdier Brassica components at harvest and store separately, since they have different respiration rates and shelf-life expectations.
History & Origin
Elegance Greens Mix is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.
Advantages
- +Beautiful red and green color combination creates visually stunning salad presentations
- +Quick 21-day harvest makes this ideal for succession planting throughout season
- +Diverse texture blend of pac choi, mustard, and mizuna prevents boring monotonous salads
- +Easy difficulty level means beginner gardeners can successfully grow this mix
Considerations
- -Brassica varieties in mix are susceptible to cabbage moths and flea beetles
- -Pac choi and mustard greens bolt quickly in hot weather reducing harvest window
- -Variable availability means you may not get consistent mix from seed to seed
Companion Plants
Radishes pull double duty here: they germinate in 4–6 days and mechanically break up the top inch of soil before the brassica mix even establishes, and their volatile isothiocyanates genuinely disorient flea beetles at close range. Chives and garlic work through a different mechanism — allicin compounds released near the roots repel aphids, and both stay shallow enough not to compete for water at the 6–12 inch spacing this mix needs. A border of French marigolds (Tagetes patula) planted 8–10 inches out discourages cabbage worm moths from laying on nearby foliage. Keep fennel out entirely — it releases allelopathic root exudates that stunt most brassicas — and don't plant broccoli alongside it, since broccoli shares the full pest and disease profile and concentrates Peronospora parasitica pressure in one spot.
Plant Together
Chives
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor while providing natural pest deterrent
Carrots
Deep roots don't compete with shallow lettuce roots, and carrots help break up soil
Radishes
Fast-growing radishes can be harvested before lettuce needs full space, and help deter flea beetles
Marigolds
Repel nematodes, aphids, and other harmful insects while attracting beneficial predators
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, drawing pests away from lettuce
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps that control lettuce pests
Garlic
Natural fungicide properties help prevent lettuce diseases and repel aphids
Spinach
Similar growing requirements and can be interplanted for efficient space usage
Keep Apart
Broccoli
Large leaves create too much shade and compete heavily for nutrients with lettuce
Fennel
Produces allelopathic compounds that inhibit lettuce germination and growth
Parsley
Competes directly for similar nutrients and can stunt lettuce growth when planted too close
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #2346388)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Aphids, slugs, flea beetles, cabbage worms
Diseases
Downy mildew, bottom rot, leaf spot
Troubleshooting Elegance Greens Mix
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapsing at the soil line within 7–10 days of going in the ground — stems look pinched or water-soaked at the base
Likely Causes
- Damping off — typically Pythium spp. or Rhizoctonia solani — both thrive in cold, wet, poorly-drained soil
- Overwatering or planting too deep in heavy soil that holds moisture around the stem
What to Do
- 1.Pull the dead seedlings and check for fuzzy white mycelium on the soil surface — that confirms a fungal culprit; toss the affected material, don't compost it
- 2.Let the top inch of soil dry slightly between waterings; brassica mix seedlings don't need constant saturation
- 3.Next round, start fresh in a different bed or amend heavily with compost to open up drainage — NC State Extension's IPM case studies flag damping off as severe enough to warrant moving to a new spot entirely
Pale yellow patches on upper leaf surface with grayish-purple fuzzy growth on the underside, appearing during cool, wet stretches
Likely Causes
- Downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica) — favored by temperatures around 50–60°F and sustained high humidity
- Dense planting that traps moisture and cuts airflow between plants
What to Do
- 1.Strip affected outer leaves immediately and bin them — don't let them sit on the soil surface
- 2.Thin to at least 6 inches apart so air can move through the canopy
- 3.Switch to drip or base watering and do it in the morning so foliage dries before nightfall
Ragged holes chewed through leaves overnight, especially on young plants near the soil; small slime trails visible in morning light
Likely Causes
- Slugs (Deroceras reticulatum and related species) — active after dark in moist conditions, leave a visible slime trail
- Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — produce smaller, more uniform shot-hole damage with no slime trail; worse on seedlings under 3 weeks old
What to Do
- 1.For slugs: sink a shallow dish to soil level, fill with beer, check every 2–3 nights and reset
- 2.For flea beetles: drape row cover directly over transplants at planting and leave it on for the first 3 weeks while plants size up
- 3.Clear debris and thick organic mulch from within 2 inches of the stem base — both pests spend the day sheltering there
Frequently Asked Questions
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.