Bok Choy

Bok choy is a cool-season crop grown from fall into winter or in early spring, sited in full sun, though part shade can help spring plantings resist premature bolting. It grows best in well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, with a pH around 6.0 to 7.5, and needs plentiful, consistent moisture through its short growing period.

Sowing: Seed can be sown directly in the garden or started indoors three to six weeks ahead of transplanting, at a depth of about a quarter to half an inch, germinating in four to seven days at soil temperatures between 50 and 80°F. Plants are spaced roughly six to twelve inches apart, with spring sowings held until after the last frost and fall crops mulched heavily to keep the soil moist.

Bok choy shares the pests and diseases common to brassica family crops, including aphids, whiteflies, flea beetles, and caterpillars such as cabbage loopers, cutworms and beet armyworms, along with slugs and snails.

Bolting: The plant bolts readily in warm weather or after exposure to frost or a run of cool nights, sending up a flower stalk quickly once triggered, especially if harvest is delayed.

Bok choy is ready to pick about a month after sowing, once plants reach roughly a foot tall. Whole plants can be pulled to thin a crowded row, and because the crop bolts soon after reaching maturity, harvest should not be delayed.

Culinary: Bok choy is grown for its mild-flavored white petioles and green leaves, a staple ingredient in stir-fries and other Asian cooking.

Ornamental: Its striking white ribs and green foliage also make it a favored choice for edible landscaping, serving as both a vegetable and a garden accent.

Bok choy is believed to have been developed in China roughly 2,000 years ago through selection from oilseed forms of Brassica rapa, and it is not native to North America.