With summer fading from memory and autumn already in full swing, many gardeners now find part of their garden empty. Growing bok choy in all its wonderful varieties and hardiness in cold weather is a great choice for the season! The crispy texture and beautiful shape make it a must have. And it's even easy to grow!
Some rare varieties that can be produced in just a few weeks are the Bok Choi "Purple Lady" and the Bok Choi "Hedou Tiny". These Asian vegetables are full of nutrients and have even been named as one of the healthiest foods to add to your diet. It can be eaten raw or cooked, sautéed or blanched. Just add some sesame oil and you have an incredibly delicious dish.
While many varieties of choi have been grown in China for over 5,000 years, you don't have to be a skilled gardener to try it. This is a great starter plant for kids as it will grow in just a few weeks!
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Brief instructions for care
Growing bok choy in the home garden is relatively easy. Source: smajee
| Common Name (s) | Bok Choy, Pak Choi, Chinese Cabbage, Bok Choi |
| Scientific name | Brassica rapa var. Chinensis |
| Days to harvest | 30-60 depending on the variety |
| light | At least 4 hours; full sun in autumn, partial sun in spring |
| Water: | 1 inch per week |
| ground | Rich, well-drained soil |
| fertilizer | NPK fertilizer or something higher in nitrogen |
| Pests | Snails, aphids, vegetable beetles, flea beetles, cabbage grinders |
| Diseases | Downy mildew, Alternaria leaf spot |
Everything about Bok Choy
Bok Choy is an absolutely delicious vegetable and a great addition to the garden from fall to spring. It works well when grown from seed or planted out, which makes it flexible for your growing zone.
A biennial that can be produced in just 6-8 weeks, the wonderful Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis is also called pak choi or Chinese cabbage and is very popular for its green and white crispy leaves.
These vegetables are a small grower ranging in size from 12 to 14 inches and come in a variety of varieties. Some of the most popular are Baby Bok Choi, Joi Choi (that doesn't screw that fast), Mei Qing Choi (a dwarf variety), and Win-Win (another variety that is slow to screw).
With dark green leaves on strong white stems, this Chinese cabbage is sometimes described as a spoon-like curved stem. It grows much like lettuce or other Brassica plants with leaves that extend circularly and upward from a central stem.
plants
Tiny Bok Choy scion. Source: Shenghung Lin
Any forecast of 8 weeks of cool temperatures is a good time to plant bok choy. It is possible to start them as seeds indoors and transplant them in late summer for an autumn harvest or in late spring after the last frost date.
Start the seeds about 1 cm deep, either in pots or in the ground, and keep them well watered. When transplanting, wait until the seedlings are about 2 inches (2 cm) tall and hardened before doing this.
Follow the care instructions below to understand the lighting requirements at different times of the year when choosing a spot in the garden.
maintenance
Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is an easy-to-grow addition to the late summer, spring, or cool season garden. As long as you follow some basic rules, you can expect your seeds to grow into healthy bok choy plants.
Sun and temperature
A young Bok Choy seedling. Source: essgee51
Bok Choy can be grown in Zones 2-11, but has some specific growing requirements as they prefer cooler temperatures. Mild weather with temperatures between 55-70 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, otherwise it can screw up. Over 70 and it can start screwing, a process of producing flowers and then seeds.
Bok Choy has different growing requirements based on the time of year you plan to grow them. If you put them in your garden in early fall, these plants do well in full sun and can tolerate light frosts. Since these plants are more resistant to the cold than many other vegetables, you don't have to be as careful about the harvest date before the first frost.
When these Chinese cabbages start in spring, they prefer partial shade. While Bok Choy can tolerate frost, this can lead to bolting if temperatures fluctuate too much between frost and warm weather. To avoid this, try keeping the transplants indoors until the last frost, then planting them out.
Do not add this plant to your garden in the summer as a month of full days with 16 hours of sunlight can cause it to slip.
Water and moisture
As a fast growing bok choy, he needs a good amount of water to stay healthy. Give it at least an inch of water a week and make sure that the soil never really dries out as it has shallow roots. Water in the morning to allow any moisture on the leaves to evaporate before disease growth is encouraged.
If possible, try watering your Chinese cabbage at the base of the plant, preferably on a drip line. You may need less watering during the cooler seasons. Monitor the moisture content of the soil to see if it is moist enough to skip watering.
ground
Before starting your bok choy plants, check what type of soil is available in your garden.
Bok Choy prefers well-drained moist soils to grow healthy and large plants. If necessary, work some perlite into the soil to provide additional drainage. Worm castings can store more moisture if necessary.
While the plant can tolerate some poor soils, it does best in soils with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. Make sure that any new soil additives are well incorporated into the soil. This Chinese cabbage needs evenly moist soil, so change your soil accordingly.
Fertilize
Bok choy and spinach in raised beds. Source: afagen
Bok Choy prefers to be planted in recently fertilized soil. As a heavy automatic feeder, it needs nitrogen for leaf growth as well as phosphorus and potassium. It is best to add fertilizers in the form of compost or composted chicken manure at the time of planting rather than throughout the growth period.
clipping
Bok Choy generally does not need to be trimmed. However, the leaves of this delicious plant can be eaten before the entire plant matures. Simply cut off the outer leaves with a knife or cut, leaving the main stem intact.
In warmer times, cut back any stems that appear to be flowers unless you're trying to save the seed. The presence of flowers means that the leaves become more bitter in taste.
Multiplication
This plant grows quickly and is best grown from seeds or grafts. If starting from seeds, sow them directly 1 / 4-1 / 2 in. Deep into fertile soil with good drainage and keep it evenly moist. When growing in rows, keep the rows 2 feet apart, with a cabbage every 4-5 inches.
Similar to celery, Bok Choy can be grown back from the cut off root end. Simply soak in warm water on the windowsill and plant out after a week.
Harvesting and storing
Harvest bok choy and use it fresh for the best leafy flavor. Source: stu_spivack
Bok Choy is a fast grower and best for gardeners who can quickly eat or freeze their crops. This leafy green is great for stir-frying along with any other product that can be picked that day!
harvest
Bok choy can be delicious at many stages in your life. Baby seedlings can be harvested and eaten when thinning a row. You can actually start harvesting bok choy leaves after 21 days, but wait until it is ripe to harvest the entire head, usually 45 to 60 days. With a sharp knife, harvest from the base of the plant and cut below where the stem holds the leaves together. Be sure to separate the leaves before using, as dirt and insects can live in the closely spaced grooves of the plant.
storage
As a leaf green, Bok Choy does not have a long shelf life. While it can be cleaned, chopped, and frozen for stir-fries and the like, it won't last longer than 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator if grown using organic methods. Do not wash it until just before use.
Troubleshooting
A cross section of Bok Choy. It grows from the inside out. Source: Gregverdino
Bok Choy has been cultivated for thousands of years! During this time, farmers have discovered some problems and some solutions for caring for Bok Choy.
Growing problems
Bok Choy is pretty easy to grow, and even if you're just starting out as a gardener, there are few things to keep in mind when planting. Make sure you place the cabbage in an area of your yard that will be preserved enough sunlight because not enough sun can lead to spindle-shaped stems.
Put your bok choy out and remember that each plant needs a good 4 to 5 inches of space on either side. At a young age the plant can somehow overturn and may need to be held in the ground with a stick to support them. Bok Choy have shallow roots so they are not stable on windy days.
Pests
Like most members of the Brassica family, this Chinese cabbage can be attacked by a wide variety of pests. One of the best ways to prevent infestation before it begins is to plant your greens under row covers from day one. This acts as a barrier to prevent pests from laying eggs and chewing on your beloved vegetables.
A shiny and slippery trail across your leaves can mean that that is dreaded slug attacks your precious harvest. This pest is particularly fond of young seedlings and can really cause a lot of heartache for gardeners who don't catch them in time. You can pick them up when you see them or distribute an organic snail and slug bait around your plants. They thrive in areas of high humidity. So check them out behind pots, below deck, and in thick vegetation to catch these naughty creatures.
Although they pose no threat themselves, Aphids carry a variety of viruses that can attack young leaves. To fight this pest, try adding beneficial insects like ladybugs to your garden. Alternatively, you can grow a trap fruit like nasturtiums, which attract the aphids. If you see a large infestation, pull the sacrificial plant out of the garden to clear the infestation. Neem oil is also effective.
Vegetable beetle are small black and gold beetles that attack the roots of the plant. A withered plant with damaged roots is a sure sign that these little creatures have settled in your garden. Use useful nematodes to kill these creatures and their larvae.
Leaves that have been visibly chewed can often be the work of Cabbage grinder in their pupal stage (similar to a caterpillar). They are small green, cylindrical powerhouses that destroy many species of plants in the Brassica family. You can prevent them by using row covers or kill them by spraying Bacillus thuringiensis (BT).
Tiny yellow spots on the leaves of your cabbage can mean this Flea beetle came to your plants. A soil pest that resembles a small flea. This can sometimes mean it will be trapped under a row cover. Try planting radish as a catch crop, as it is often attracted to this plant. For an especially bad infestation, try diatomaceous earth or pyrethrin.
Diseases
Bok Choy is quite disease resistant. That being said, growing in a crop rotation or mulching your plants with straw is a long way to go.
Wrong mildew may appear in the form of spots or a soft, fuzzy growth on the underside of the leaves. Infected leaves should not be composted by Peronospora or Plasmopara. Avoid getting the leaves damp to reduce the chance of infection. Copper-based fungicides can be used to get rid of the fungus.
Light brown spots with a black center can be a sign of this Alternaria leaf spot, another disease that can be difficult to treat. The best way to prevent this disease is by applying straw mulch and watering at the base of the plant. It is possible to treat with a copper fungicide, but it may not be 100 percent effective.
frequently asked Questions
Two types of Bok Choy, Gerard and Broadview. Source: PinkMoose
Q: How long does it take to breed Bok Choy?
A: Depending on the variety, Bok Choy can grow in 30-60 days.
Q: Can you regrow bok choy?
A: Yes! Place the cut stem in a bowl of warm water in a sunny spot in your kitchen and change the water daily. After a few days, some baby leaves should emerge from the stem. After a week, plant in a pot with some potting compost and just keep the leaves above the ground.
Q: What can you not plant next to Bok Choy?
A: Stay away from asparagus, corn, pumpkin, grapes, tomatoes, and peppers.
Q: is bok choy healthier than spinach?
A: Bok choy and spinach are both very healthy leafy vegetables. While they're both full of vitamins, they have higher amounts of different vitamins with bok choy, which is high in vitamins A, C and folic acid, with spinach having more vitamin K.
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