Sign in or sign up
Project list
Sign in to your account
With project lists you can...
Please sign in or create an account to use Project Lists
Name: bok choy, buk choy, bok choi, pak choy, pak choi, Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis.
Height: up to 30cm.
Plant type: annual leafy vegetable.
Climate: all zones.
Soil: moist, well drained, and enriched with compost.
Position: full sun to part shade.
Flowering: small yellow flowers.
Foliage: fleshy, spoon-shaped, dark green leaves with prominent white veins. Bok choy has white stems. Shanghai bok choy has pale-green stems.
Feeding: liquid feed regularly throughout the growing season.
Watering: water regularly.
Bok choy is a fast-growing leafy vegetable with deep green leaves and small yellow flowers. It’s a type of Chinese cabbage but does not form a head like traditional cabbage. Instead, the spoon-shaped leaves with thick, crisp stems are arranged in a loose rosette.
It’s a small vegetable that’s easy to grow in either garden beds or pots. The outer leaves are harvested as needed (like cut-and-come-again lettuce), or the entire plant can be cut.
There is no difference between bok choy and pak choy. It is the same vegetable with different spelling. The name is derived from its Cantonese name, which translates to ‘white vegetable’.
There are various ways to enjoy this leafy vegie. It’s great steamed, braised, boiled, or stir-fried. Bok choy has a subtle cabbage flavour but is versatile enough to be paired with a wide variety of aromatics or sauces, like oyster or XO sauce. Its leaves wilt quickly but the stems keep a good crunch.
Bok choy can be grown in all climates but does best in mild temperatures. Summer heat, especially in warm temperate, arid, or warm subtropical zones can cause it to bolt and go to flower and seed, making the plant bitter, tough, and inedible. During hot weather, you can help reduce the likelihood of it bolting by erecting a shade cloth to provide protection from the heat.
Choose a sunny or partly shaded spot with well-drained soil and dig in some compost and aged manure. Sow seed directly in garden beds or in trays filled with seed-raising mix. Transplant the seedlings when they are 5-7cm tall. Water regularly to keep the soil moist.
Bok choy is an easy vegetable to grow but needs regular watering and applications of fertiliser for healthy growth. Pick as needed and sow successive crops to extend the harvest.
Water regularly to keep the soil moist. Spread an organic mulch, like pea straw or lucerne, around plants to help conserve soil moisture.
Apply a liquid fertiliser once a fortnight to support and boost plant growth.
The plant is ready to harvest as soon as it has grown leaves large enough to be eaten. Harvest the outer leaves using a sharp knife, cutting the stems at the base of the plant. Snip as required to encourage more leafy growth. Alternatively, cut the entire plant.
The larvae, or caterpillars, of the cabbage white butterfly and cabbage moth (diamondback moth) chew on the foliage. If left untreated, they can ruin the plants. Control caterpillars with a suitable organic spray, vegetable dust or bio-insecticide, or simply pick them off the leaves.
Snails and slugs often find young plants attractive but can be controlled with traps, organic snail or slug pellets, as well as copper tape.
Grow from seed or seedlings.
Brussels sprouts: it takes patience to grow this versatile unique member of the cabbage family but is well worth it.
New Zealand spinach: this sprawling shrub is a popular summer green.
Leeks: a handsome, versatile, and easy-to-grow member of the onion family.
Check out our wide range of plants now and get your garden growing!
Photo credit: Getty Images
