Grow pak choy

Small, loose-head, cabbage-like vegetable with light to dark green leaves and broad, spoon-shaped stems that are green or white.

Forms

Also sold as Shanghai pak choy (green stems), bok choy (white stems), baby bok choy (miniature, white stems) and red choy (green stems and leaves; maroon veining)

Planting and care

Pak choy grows best in autumn and spring, as well as winter in warmer areas. The green-stemmed types are hardiest in hot and cold conditions, but most forms cope with light frost. Give it a spot with plenty of sunshine and some wind protection. It is very fast-growing and demands a rich, fertile growing medium, so add compost or well-rotted manure to soil or potting mix (it grows well in large pots). A pH of 6.5–7 is best – if yours is below 6, add lime or dolomite a few weeks before planting. Sow seed directly in beds or pots and keep moist – it will germinate in a few days. Thin and transplant crowded seedlings to 5–10cm spacings. Keep the soil moist and fertilise weekly with liquid fertiliser at half strength.

Harvesting

Start thinning and eating plants when 10cm tall (4 weeks old). Create 30cm spaces for remaining plants to mature, and harvest them at 6–8 weeks old. Pull up the whole plant and slice off the roots with a knife. Sow follow-up crops every 4–6 weeks.

Header image credit: iStock