bok choy

I've never grown bok choy. In zone 8/9 Coastal Georgia, would it be grown in the fall/winter/spring with spinach, kale and mustard? Is it best to direct seed or to plant seedlings?

It is quick so direct seeding works well, if you can avoid planting too thick. Overcowding is the major problem with direct seeding. It works well as both a spring or fall crop. planting schedule similar to radish.

is it too late to plant now?

No, I am planting now and can plant again the first of April. Most varieties mature very fast in spring and will bolt if you leave them too long.

I love bokchoy, very abundance plant and easy to grow.

I like the typical variety bought from the super market, I just cut the crown in the bottom and stick them in the ground. A month later it's big enough to harvest. Two months and lots of leaves. It's the easier way to grow them than from seeds.

It's excellent for juicing.

max - Wow - you can grow them that way and get a sizeable harvest? I've tried growing the celery crowns but didn't get enough growth to spend much time on it.

I've regrown several plants and would be glad to do that with bok choy. Problem is... we are extremely rural, and the little grocery store in our county seat town doesn't carry bok choy. Haven't found any bok choy seeds here, either. I'll either have to travel to another county to find them or order them online. The downside of living in the boonies LOL

While I can usually get bok choy here (although my little local store doesn't always carry it), I ordered some seeds from Bakers Creek where I usually get my veggie seeds.

Some of my favorite sources for Asian Brassica greens are:

http://www.tainongseeds.com/
(Call them or email them with the list of what you want, and say you want the "sample size" packets. These are around 2 grams each, for $2 each. Their website won't say that, "you just have to know".) If I recall, their "S&H" is just the cost of the USPS flat rate box. The next size up from "sample" is "pounds". They really are more for market growers, but Sandy (I-Lung) is very patient with home growers and will suggest alternatives suited to your climate.

http://www.kitazawaseed.com/
Very good explanations of what all the different varieties are. Includes many receipts. Biggish seed packets for $3.60. This website or their paper catalog is a good textbook for Asian vegetables.

http://www.evergreenseeds.com/smalloosgree.html
I forget whether I've ordered from these guys, but their selection is wide.


If you get tired of Bok Choy and Chinese cabbage, try Tatsoi (very cold-hardy, low rosettes that grow slower than Bok Choy but can stand real cold). It's as mild as Chinese cabbage or young Bok Choy.

Then, Komatsuna tolerates cold OR heat, and grows a little faster and bigger than Tatsoi. It has more "mustard" flavor than Bok Choy, but is still suitable for salad when young.

Tyfon is even MORE cold tolerant and milder. It's very vigorous and productive, but has little flavor of its own. It's even suitable as a forage crop.

Thanks for those suggestions. I'm kinda new to Asian greens and will hopefully have more time this year to explore. Just for fun, I plopped the base of a supermarket bok choy into some damp perlite last night to see what it would do.

I think Bok Choy is easiest to grow, and Chinese cabbage the most demanding about temperatures and decreasing day length. Most people direct sow Bok Choy and start Chinese cabbage (Napa or Michihili) indoors.

Interesting to try to sprout Bok Choy like a carrot! I wonder if that encourages the stump to go directly to seed?

Another easy experiment is to broadcast-sow some Bok Choy and rake it in just a little, or sift compost over the seeds. For microgreens, sow thickly. For baby leaves, sow thinly. Harvest hands-full in 2-3 weeks with scissors and use in salad. Cold or cool weather is best.

But those are best if you save your own seeds. Then you can turn a small patch into a big chia pet without having to buy bulk packages of seeds.

For full-size plants, sow like for baby leaves but pluck and eat 3/4 of them when they have a few pair of real leaves.

Bok choy as a chia pet - how funny!
Last year was my first year with Chinese cabbage and bok choy. I grew them in huge pots which seemed to suit them just fine. That way I could site them so that they'd get part shade during the hottest part of the day. With little veg gardening space and crummy soil, the pots were an excellent alternative. Also kept the plants away from slugs. I did learn about the destructive cabbage moth though so am ready this year with netting. I did start some seeds earlier this week and they sprouted in 3 days. Once they get big enough, I can pop them into the pots where they'll grow. From what I've read, they can go out before last frost. I will do the same with kale and Swiss chard (both of which wintered over in pots in my tall cold frame with a light bulb on really cold nights). None of my plants got to flowering stage last year.
My bok choy root is starting to send up little leaves. It's sitting in a container of perlite at the moment as I was waiting to see what it would do. Might have to put it in some soil now.

>> Also kept the plants away from slugs.

A life-saver! If they weren't so disgusting, I could have a protein-rich side dish from the slugs I find in my Bok Choy.

>> From what I've read, they can go out before last frost.

Yes, if hardened off first. Chinese cabbage might be most cold-sensitive. Tatsoi is most cold-hardy after Tyfon (Holland Greens). Bok Choy and Komatsuna can take some frost, they say, though I don;t push that limit. My beds are all soggy mud until well after last frost.

>> My bok choy root is starting to send up little leaves. It's sitting in a container of perlite at the moment as I was waiting to see what it would do. Might have to put it in some soil now.

Nice! I love that experiment. It's one way to grow a "supermarket variety" that is probably a hybrid.

>> None of my plants got to flowering stage last year.

Despite all the warnings about bolting, or bolt-resistance, I often see Brassicas fail to flower. I had a few plants that seemed willing to go through the winter, so I let them. They all flowered early the next spring, when they were unlikely to be pollinated by anything other than themselves.

I did plop the bok choy into a container with a light potting soil mix with a little worm compost and keep a clear cover over it to keep the humidity high while it hopefully develops some roots. I was also going to try the carrot top (organic) thing but read that only tops would grow - not the root. The ferny tops can be eaten though. Also experimenting with some organic Romaine sitting in water. Doesn't cost anything to experiment and if I get more food out of them, I'm happy. I also grow organic edible ginger in a pot. Bought one root a couple of years ago, cut it up and planted the individual pieces. It goes outside in the warmer weather and then comes indoors under lights during the winter. Nice because I can harvest a piece whenever I want.
My greens seedlings will need at least a month before they can go outdoors and then it will be about 4 weeks before last frost but I'll probably wait a little longer to plant them out since the weather here is such a roller coaster.

Oh! That is pretty cold, pretty late. Today we are going to have our first high-60s day. We had very warm January and February, then got some late frosts in March.

I shouldn't say "late" frosts. Our traditional "average last frost date" is around April 8. Despite all the snowstorms the NE had, and the cold the SE had, I think climate change is upon us and "hardiness zones" and "frost dates" are a' changing.

I am jealous of your longer growing season and shorter winter. Our avg last frost is around 5/20. As much as I would like to, just can't rush into planting in the garden.

I understand!

Maybe Tatsoi would give you an extra few weeks or month of fresh-greens growing season. It's supposed to be cold-hardy down to 15F, at least some varieties.

DH built a fantastic tall cold frame for me last fall and I was able to put my big pots of kale and Swiss chard in there (along with a thermostat plug and a light bulb when it gets below 20) and they survived. The chard wasn't as happy as the kale. I haven't harvested any of the kale yet (I think it was a blue dwarf) but will try some in the next week or so.
I will definitely make a note to try the tatsoi. I wasn't familiar with it so hadn't purchased any seeds.

Cool! I always make some Asian Brassica greens seeds available in the Hog Wild Piggy Swap (around November).

Thanks for the heads up on the seed swap. I've got tatsoi seeds on my list now.

I think I planted bok choy too late for my area. We've had an unusually hot spring (low 90's today), and the bok choy seeds just never sprouted. I'll wait and try again this fall after the first frost, probably November.

Whoa - that is warm. It's a shame the weather didn't cooperate with seed sowing. I started mine indoors a month ago and will start hardening them off this weekend to plant out next week. My average last frost is mid-May give or take.

I doubt that you planted too late. You are only a couple of counties south of me, and I am having no problems.. Note pak choi/bok choi does not tolerate freezes. I do the fall planting just after labor day and have to finish harvest around Thanksgiving when we get our first freeze. My spring (Red Choi) is up and running but is late this year. April has come in warm but we had a 27 degree freeze in late March which wiped out my peach crop. This and the Romaine were planted at the same time

Wow - sorry to hear about the peach crop. You folks down there have been having some weird winter/spring weather. Your red choi sure looks pretty. I'm kinda new to growing greens and will have to do some more research next winter for seed ordering. Since I'm growing my greens in big pots, I have a little more flexibility for protecting them if we get a nasty cold spell.

Farmerdill, do you think the freeze we had the same time as yours is what got my bok choy seeds? I had that row covered with a heavy towel, as well as the row of chard right next to it. The chard is coming along fine, but no sign of bok choi..

Possible but it is a resilient plant. How long was it covered? I just plant them like radishes and never had any problems. But I have never covered them either. Usually pop up in a week.

Can any Asian greens be sown in the summer? Or is it strictly a spring/fall crop?
My store-bought bok choy is coming along nicely. I planted in a big pot with seedlings of another variety yesterday and it's residing outdoors now. I figure my experiment will be harvest-able sooner so it kind of extends my season. I am still experimenting with Romaine lettuce in the same manner but they seem a little more reluctant to put out any roots.

I think it depends on how hot your summer gets, as well as the exact variety you grow.
Letting the soil dry out too often will discourage any Brassica I grew.
Also, afternoon shade probably adds months to their "happy time".

Many varieties have been selected for "heat" tolerance - but I bet someone growing in Texas would never notice. TX summers are much too hot for a cool-moisture-loving plant.

Looking in seed catalogs for "heat-tolerant" varieties would be Step One. Then, pick a spot near a hose and with some summer afternoon shade. Then experiment!

These places have more variety of Asian Brassicas than most seed vendors:

http://www.tainongseeds.com/
http://www.kitazawaseed.com/seeds_pak_choi.html

Kitazawa says that Da Cheong Chae, Hybrid "Can be grown all year round in mild climate areas.".

They say their "Dwarf 4-6", Hybrid" is heat tolerant.

They say their Toy Choy hybrid is "well suited for summer months, although it can be grown year-round in sub-tropical areas."

YMMV

Kitzawa says "F1 Hybrid Sweet Bok Choy 一代交配甜白菜" is "Tolerant to high heat".
I still have some of that seed.

Joi Choy is tolerant of most things, probably also a little heat.


I don't know if there are any hyper-adapted "hot weather Brassicas" - if so, it's probably a hobbyist project.

My guess is that even survivors in a hot summer would get tough and more mustardy-flavored ("hot").

The coastal PNW summers never get what I think of as "hot" - usually mild and occasionally warm. I seem able to grow at least some Bok Choy all summer, though a few have bolted. My yard is somewhat shady everywhere, so I probably fall into the "afternoon shade" category, as well as "keep them plenty wet".

I never deliberately tried to keep a "cold-tolerant" Bok Choy going all summer.

I kind of suspected it wouldn't care for the heat much. While my growing season is short, it can get hot during the latter part of the summer. Since I'm growing most of my greens in big pots, I do have some flexibility in offering some shade which might help extend the season. Most of my direct sun is in the afternoon - the hottest part of the day. I might be able to start some new plants for fall but my growing window will be short. Hot the first half of Sept and then frost by the end of October (if not snow).

As long as you do not have hot weather ( consistant triple digets) many brassicas will grow through the summer. Bolting is a greater problem for spring brassicas as they are programmed to seed on increasing daylight.

We don't get triple digits that often. I don't do a lot of traditional brassicas. Maybe that's why my wintered-over kale bolted last week. It was in the tall cold frame (closed up) and the summer sun heated it up pretty good while I was gone. I haven't done any fall crops but will have to try to remember to do them this year to extend my season.