Mustard seed can be grown on most soil types, but is best adapted to the brown and dark brown soils. Soils prone to crusting and dry, sandy soils are not recommended. All mustard seed types tolerate drought conditions better than canola. To minimize the effect of sclerotinia, mustard seed should not be seeded in the same field more than one year in four. Fields should be free of wild mustard and volunteer oilseed crops.
Mustard seed fits well in a rotation with cereal grains.
Mustard seed requires 90-95 days to mature and the seedlings are quite tolerant of frost. Early seeding is recommended to avoid flowering during the hottest part of the summer, thereby improving yields. Yellow mustard seed is resistant to shattering and therefore can be straight-combined. Full seed maturity is necessary to produce a good quality crop. Brown and oriental mustard seeds are less resistant to shattering and are usually swathed.