Ruby Streaks
Brassica juncea
Wikimedia Commons
Fine, deeply incised leaves. The color ranges from dark green with red veins to dark maroon, with the maroon color darker when grown without row cover and in cooler weather. The flavor is mild and slightly pungent.
Harvest
21d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
8–11
USDA hardiness
Height
12-18 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Ruby Streaks in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 lettuce →Zone Map
Click a state to update dates
Ruby Streaks · Zones 8–11
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
Ruby Streaks is ready to cut in about 21 days from direct sow, which means you can run tight successions without much planning overhead. Sow every 14 days from late February through early May, then pause when daytime highs are consistently hitting 85°F — the leaves get pungent and tough in the heat and the plant bolts fast. Pick back up with a fall run starting around mid-August through early October, depending on your first frost date.
Each sowing only needs a short row or a 2-foot patch to keep one or two people in greens. The cut-and-come-again habit buys you some extra time between sowings, but don't stretch it past 21 days — a fresh sowing gives you better leaf quality than waiting on a plant that's already thinking about flowering.
Complete Growing Guide
Fine, deeply incised leaves. The color ranges from dark green with red veins to dark maroon, with the maroon color darker when grown without row cover and in cooler weather. The flavor is mild and slightly pungent. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Ruby Streaks is 21 baby; 40 full size to maturity, annual, open pollinated. Notable features: Cold Tolerant, Hydroponic Performer.
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: High Organic Matter. Soil pH: Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.. Spacing: Less than 12 inches. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: Medium. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Ruby Streaks reaches harvest at 21 baby; 40 full size from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
Long pods with round, brown seeds. The fruits will dry and split when ripe. The seeds are harvested for use in condiments and oil.
Color: Brown/Copper. Type: Siliqua.
Garden value: Edible
Edibility: The leaves, seeds, flowers, and stems of this mustard variety are edible raw or cooked. Harvested leaves can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Storage & Preservation
Store freshly harvested Ruby Streaks at 32–36°F in a humid environment, ideally 95–98% relative humidity. Keep leaves in a perforated plastic bag or breathable container in the crisper drawer; avoid sealing tightly, which promotes rot. Properly stored, the greens remain crisp and usable for 7–10 days.
For preservation, freezing works adequately for cooked applications—blanch briefly (2–3 minutes), cool in ice water, drain thoroughly, and freeze in airtight containers for up to three months. Fermenting is also practical: finely shred the leaves, layer with salt (about 2% by weight), pack tightly in a jar, and weight down. Fermentation begins within days and stores well for months in cool conditions.
Ruby Streaks' peppery mustard notes intensify slightly after light blanching, making it particularly suited to fermentation over raw preservation methods.
History & Origin
Ruby Streaks is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Origin: Russia to central Asia
Advantages
- +Visually striking red and green coloring adds appeal to salads and plates.
- +Extremely fast maturity at 21 days means quick harvests and succession planting.
- +Deeply incised leaves provide delicate texture and mild, slightly peppery flavor.
- +Easy growing difficulty suitable for beginners and container gardening.
Considerations
- -Maroon color fades significantly when grown under row cover indoors.
- -Mild flavor lacks the intensity some growers prefer in specialty greens.
- -Requires cooler weather for optimal color development and bolt resistance.
Companion Plants
Radishes are probably the most useful plant to tuck in alongside Ruby Streaks. They germinate in 5–7 days and get pulled within 30, so they're in and out before the mustard gets serious about its 12–18 inch spread. More practically, radishes act as a trap crop for flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — those beetles will preferentially hit the radish leaves, which gives the Ruby Streaks some breathing room during its most vulnerable first 3 weeks. French marigolds (Tagetes patula) repel aphids through scent compounds; plant a row on the windward edge of the bed and they do most of their work without any attention from you.
Garlic and chives pull their weight through a similar mechanism — sulfur compounds that aphids and some soft-bodied insects find off-putting. They're also shallow-rooted enough that they don't compete much for water, which matters because Ruby Streaks wants consistent moisture. Nasturtiums are worth adding at the bed corners: aphids swarm them preferentially, so they function as an early-warning system and a decoy at the same time.
Broccoli is the companion to skip. It's a brassica, same as Ruby Streaks (Brassica juncea), which means they share the same pest and disease load — clubroot, flea beetles, aphids, downy mildew. Concentrating two brassicas in one bed just makes that pressure worse. Sunflowers are the other plant to keep separated; they're allelopathic, and root exudates from a mature sunflower can suppress smaller leafy greens planted within a foot or two.
Plant Together
Chives
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor while providing natural pest deterrent
Carrots
Loosens soil for lettuce roots and doesn't compete for surface nutrients
Radishes
Acts as trap crop for flea beetles and breaks up soil for lettuce growth
Marigolds
Deters nematodes and aphids while attracting beneficial predatory insects
Spinach
Similar growing requirements and can be succession planted together
Garlic
Natural fungicide properties help prevent lettuce diseases like downy mildew
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, protecting lettuce
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings that control lettuce pests
Keep Apart
Broccoli
Competes heavily for nitrogen and can shade out lettuce with large leaves
Sunflowers
Allelopathic compounds inhibit lettuce germination and growth
Parsley
Can attract carrot flies which may damage lettuce roots in close proximity
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, snails, flea beetles
Diseases
Lettuce mosaic virus, powdery mildew, downy mildew
Troubleshooting Ruby Streaks
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Tiny round holes punched through leaves, often appearing overnight on seedlings or young transplants
Likely Causes
- Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — small, jumping beetles that feed aggressively on brassica leaves in warm, dry conditions
- Seedlings under stress from inconsistent watering are hit harder
What to Do
- 1.Cover seedlings with row cover (Agribon AG-19 or similar) immediately at sowing — flea beetles are fastest in the first 3 weeks
- 2.Keep soil consistently moist; stressed plants recover more slowly from feeding damage
- 3.If pressure is severe, spinosad-based sprays (OMRI-listed) can knock populations back — apply in the evening to avoid harming pollinators
White powdery coating on upper leaf surfaces, usually showing up after a stretch of warm days and cool nights
Likely Causes
- Powdery mildew (Erysiphe spp.) — a fungal disease that spreads by airborne spores and thrives when humidity fluctuates rather than stays consistently high
- Overcrowded planting that restricts airflow between plants
What to Do
- 1.Thin or harvest outer leaves to open up airflow — Ruby Streaks at 12-inch spacing can still get crowded fast once it hits 12–18 inches tall
- 2.Spray affected leaves with a dilute solution of potassium bicarbonate or neem oil at first sign; don't wait until the whole plant is coated
- 3.Pull and bin badly affected leaves — don't compost them, since spores can survive
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Ruby Streaks lettuce take to mature?▼
Is Ruby Streaks lettuce good for beginners?▼
Can you grow Ruby Streaks lettuce in containers?▼
What does Ruby Streaks lettuce taste like?▼
When should I plant Ruby Streaks lettuce?▼
How much sunlight does Ruby Streaks need?▼
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.