Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
Pak choi
Common names: Bok choy, Chinese white cabbage
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 25 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Apr–Aug
- Harvest
- Jun–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −3 °C
- Water need
- High
Description
Pak Choi does not form tight heads but loose rosettes of thick white stems and dark green leaves that taste mildly spicy. It grows quickly, is well suited to fill gaps between other crops, and is commonly stir‑fried in a wok in a few minutes in Asian cuisine.
Care instructions
Sow in staggered batches from April to August, preferably after the summer solstice, as long days and dryness can cause it to bolt. Keep the soil consistently moist and nutrient‑rich, and harvest young after four to six weeks, either whole rosettes or individual leaves as needed.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–Aug
HarvestJun–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 3 to 7 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich, moist
Pak choi likes loose, humus-rich soil that stays evenly moist but does not waterlog. A sandy loam with good water retention is ideal. Keep the pH at 6.5 to 7.0: pak choi belongs to the brassicas, and on acidic, wet soils it is particularly quickly hit by clubroot.
Brassicas are heavy feeders and prone to clubroot; leave a 4-year break and do not follow directly on other crucifers such as radishes or mustard.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug
Before sowing or planting, work mature compost in shallowly; this covers the basic needs of the spring sowing (March/April) and the summer sowing for autumn vegetables (July/August). Pak choi is a moderate feeder and reacts sensitively to overfeeding: too much nitrogen makes the leaves watery and bitter. Give organic help only if growth visibly stalls, for example with a little horn shavings or diluted plant liquid feed. In the last weeks before harvest, no more nitrogen-heavy feeding.
Overwintering
Pak choi is an annual and does not survive a Central European winter outdoors. It dies off and is sown again the following spring. It tolerates light frost well; with horticultural fleece or a film tunnel you extend the harvest into early winter.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate pak choi exclusively by sowing. For a spring harvest, sow from March to April into seed pots or multi-cell trays (germination temperature approx. 18 to 20 °C, germination time about 5 to 7 days) and prick out or plant the young plants into the bed after the second pair of true leaves. For the main season, and to avoid the annoying bolting, direct sowing from early July to mid-August is recommended: draw a drill approx. 1 cm deep, sow thinly and later thin to 25 to 30 cm. Pak choi bolts easily under stress, especially on long, hot, dry early-summer days and after cold snaps. Growing in late summer and autumn, with cooler, shortening days, is therefore usually more productive; bolt-resistant varieties help as well. Keep the soil evenly moist until germination and afterwards too, because dryness promotes bolting. Successional sowing every two to three weeks secures you a continuous harvest into November.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example Pole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled peaRunner beanLima bean and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
mint family (Lamiaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example LavenderThymeBasilRosemarySageHyssop and 43 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
nasturtium family (Tropaeolaceae)
Nasturtium serves as a trap plant for you. Aphids and cabbage whiteflies prefer it over the brassicaceae next to it.
For example NasturtiumMashua
Source: Trap plant practice in organic horticulture
Rather not
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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