Bok choy (aka pak choi) is a cabbage-like veggie that’s been selected more for its thick, crunchy, white leaf ribs than its leaves (though those are quite tasty too). It’s high in calcium and iron and is delicious eaten raw in salads, sautéed, stir-fried, or steamed. (Here are 12 crazy good ways to cook bok choy.) Best of all, it’s easy to grow it yourself, and, because it thrives in cool weather, it’s a great __plant to grow in the early spring and fall to extend your fresh veggie supply.
Here’s everything you need to know to grow bok choy in your home garden.
(Whether you're starting your first garden or switching to organic, Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening has all the answers and advice you need—get your copy today!)
While classic bok choy has white ribs and dark green leaves, there are also cultivars that are solid light green, reddish-green, and even golden-yellow. There are also “baby” or “dwarf” cultivars that mature fast at just a few inches tall and are perfect for cooking whole. Bok choy cultivars belong to the species Brassica rapa, which also includes Chinese or Napa cabbage and quite a few other tasty veggies.
Most garden centers and seed catalogs stock just one or two cultivars of bok choy, so to really explore the amazing variety of this versatile crop you will probably have to shop mail order. High Mowing Organic Seeds has a modest selection of organic choys and other Asian green seeds. Two non-organic U.S. seed companies that specialize in Asian veggies are the Kitazawa Seed Company and Evergreen Seeds; you may want to check them out if you catch choy fever!
One cultivar worth looking for is ‘Bopak F1’, the first bok choy to earn the status of All-American Selection for its great performance throughout the U.S. The compact, medium-sized heads are just the right size for smaller families, containers, and small gardens.
Bok choy likes loose, well-drained soil. In the spring and fall it will grow in full sun or partial shade. In summer bok choy prefers partial shade, which will help prevent it from bolting (sending up a central flower stalk) prematurely. Smaller and baby varieties do well in containers and you can even grow baby leaf choy in shallow flats on your windowsill in the winter.
Plant bok choy seeds or seedlings outside as early as 2-3 weeks before your last average spring frost and as late as few weeks before your first average frost in the fall. There are four basic ways to grow and harvest bok choy.
Baby greens. Ready to harvest in as little as 30 days, baby leaves are the fastest way to grow bok choy. __plant about 60-100 seeds per square foot in the garden. When the plants are 4’’ or 5’’ tall, harvest the leaves by giving the patch a haircut with scissors, cutting about an inch above the bases of the leaves. Plants will continue to grow more leaves, allowing for at least a couple more harvests. Replant bok choy every 4-6 weeks for a continuous supply.
“Baby” bok choy. Ready to harvest in about 45 days. Plant “baby” or “dwarf” bok choy seeds 3-4 inches apart (9-12 per square foot) in all directions. Cut entire mini-heads off at the soil when they are the size you want or as soon as you see the tip of a flower stalk rising out of the center of the leaves. For a continuous supply, plant a few dozen seeds every 2 weeks throughout the spring and again starting in mid-summer for fall harvests.
Whole mature plants. Ready to harvest in 60-80 days. Plant seeds or transplant seedlings 6-8 inches apart (2-4 per square foot) in all directions. You can shorten the time in the garden by starting seeds in pots or flats and transplanting the seedlings into the garden when they are two weeks old. Start transplants as early as 4-6 weeks before your last average spring frost, and plant transplants or seeds outside as early as 3-4 weeks before your last average spring frost. For a continuous supply, plant a few seeds every 2 weeks throughout the spring and again starting in mid-summer for fall harvests.
Individual mature ribs and leaves. Ready to harvest in 45-60 days. Grow as you would for whole, mature plants (above), but start harvesting as soon as the first outer leaves have fat crisp ribs. Snap off individual leaves by bending them out and away from the plant and gently pressing down on the base of the rib to separate it from the central stem. This extends the harvest and is a good plan for small families. When a central stalk starts to peek above the leaves, harvest the whole plant: it’s all edible, stem, flowers, and all. For a continuous supply plant a few seeds every 4 weeks throughout the spring and again starting in mid-summer for fall harvests.
If you don’t get regular rain, you will need to water the soil every few days to keep it moist around your choy’s roots. Allowing the soil to dry out will lead to less juicy ribs and may lead to premature bolting. Bok choy can be quite attractive to flea beetles in early spring. A few holes won’t hurt your harvest, but if there is a lot of damage, consider covering your next plantings with floating row cover. Using floating row covers can also extend your growing season by a few weeks at each end of the season.