In as little as three to five days, you will see the first sign: two tiny, heart-shaped cotyledons pushing through the dirt. In a world of slow-grow tomatoes and patient peppers, mustard is the overachiever. Within a week, you have a seedling. Within three weeks, a leafy green.

Scatter the seeds like tiny wishes onto loose, well-drained soil. Do not bury them deep—they need light to wake up. A mere quarter-inch of soil on top is enough. Pat gently, water with a soft mist, and then… wait.

So go ahead. Press that speck into the dirt. In a few short weeks, you won’t recognize the lush, spicy, golden-green bush that stands where a tiny seed once lay. And you might just feel a little more capable of growing the other dreams in your own life, too.

Mustard is a cool-weather champion. Plant it in early spring for a summer harvest of leaves, or in late summer for a fall harvest of seeds. It laughs at a light frost.