Mustard Cover Crop is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 10 and shrugs off deer. Its late spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Zones
3-10
pH Range
5.5-8.5
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
50
Score Mustard Cover Crop on your exact land.
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What Mustard Cover Crop is
Mustard Cover Crop grows as an annual and reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms in late spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Mustard Cover Crop
Mustard Cover Crop grows in USDA zones 3 through 10. Mustard Cover Crop does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 900 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 110 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 8.5
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Tolerance
41°F
The lowest temperature it shrugs off — below this, expect damage without cover.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
50 days
White mustard; cover crop; no strat.
USDA-NRCS
GDD Required
900+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
4 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
110+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant mustard cover crop in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Mustard Cover Crop prefers pH 5.5 to 8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut mustard cover crop down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — mustard cover crop isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Mustard Cover Crop offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Mustard Cover Crop thrives
On hardiness alone, mustard cover crop grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 3 through 10) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 3–10·Where Mustard Cover Crop growsOpen map →
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Mustard Cover Crop can grow in these states:
See if Mustard Cover Crop will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether mustard cover crop actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Mustard Cover Crop in my zone?
Mustard Cover Crop grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Mustard Cover Crop?
Mustard Cover Crop is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Mustard Cover Crop need?
Mustard Cover Crop needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Mustard Cover Crop need?
Mustard Cover Crop prefers soil pH 5.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Mustard Cover Crop attract pollinators?
Yes — mustard cover crop's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Mustard Cover Crop safe for pets?
Mustard Cover Crop is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)