'Red Giant' Asian Green - Brassica juncea

'Red Giant' Asian Green – spicy-hot rarity with decorative red leaves. 

This variety is a fast-growing mustard green with uniquely colored red-green leaves and a mustard-spicy, cress-like flavor. It is winter-hardy and ideally suited for open field, greenhouse, and pot cultivation. Open-pollinated, high-yielding, and robust – proven in self-sufficiency gardens and organic farming.

  Origin & History

‘Red Giant’ is an open-pollinated variety from the Asian mustard tradition, originating from Brassica juncea. This species has been cultivated in India for centuries as an oil plant and culinary mustard, and was introduced early to China and Japan, where numerous leafy mustard forms became established as vegetables. The variety was selected from old landraces and valued for its decorative red leaf coloration, strong flavor, and good winter hardiness. It belongs to the group of so-called Asian greens, members of the Brassicaceae family, closely related to mustard and cabbage.

Since the 1980s, ‘Red Giant’ has also been documented in Western seed catalogs and is now considered a classic with historical roots. In its native regions, these plants are traditionally grown as fast-maturing leafy vegetables – both for fresh consumption and cooking. Red selections like ‘Red Giant’ were deliberately bred to combine striking appearance with spicy flavor. Today, it is maintained by enthusiasts and preservation initiatives as a freely accessible, non-patented crop.

  Appearance & Characteristics

The plant grows upright and reaches a height of about 45 cm. It produces numerous large leaves and is winter-hardy down to -5 °C.

Leaf details:

• Size: Medium to large

• Form: Oval, slightly serrated

• Color: Red with light green veins

• Texture: Tender to robust, depending on harvest time

• Flavor: Cress-like, mustard-spicy

 Usage & Cultivation Highlights

The leaves of ‘Red Giant’ are highly versatile: young leaves enrich salads with a mild-spicy aroma, while older ones develop a strong mustard sharpness. They are suitable for steaming, cooking, and stir-frying, add an aromatic note to soups and stews, and are traditionally also pickled or fermented. With their decorative red-green coloration, they are an eye-catching highlight.

Thanks to good winter hardiness and resilience, ‘Red Giant’ grows reliably outdoors, in greenhouses, and in pots. It is easy to care for, cut-tolerant, and delivers stable yields even at cooler temperatures. The variety also convinces with rapid development, enabling an early harvest just weeks after sowing. It can be sown densely for cut-and-come-again harvests or spaced more widely for single plants, allowing flexible cultivation methods. Its versatility makes it suitable for both professional cultivation and home gardens, consistently providing aromatic leaves.

Compared to other Asian greens, ‘Red Giant’ is especially winter-hardy, decorative, and productive – ideal for those who appreciate open-pollinated greens with distinctive sharpness and striking appearance.