Bok choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a cool-season biennial vegetable that is normally harvested for consumption in its first year of growth. It has crisp stalks surrounded by smooth, tender leaves with a flavor that is somewhere between cabbage and chard. Plants form an upright head, with outward flaring leaves, and its white or green stalks look like smooth, non-stringy celery. The stalk can shoot up to twice the size of the plant. Flower stalks grow from the center of the plant and have the yellow, four-petal cross typical of the cruciferous family.Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage that once was limited to meals in Chinese restaurants. These days, however, you are just as likely to find it growing in backyard gardens. There are a surprising number of varieties to try. Its Chinese name, "pak choi," translates to "white cabbage," probably because of its blanched centers, but there are green varieties too. Plant size varies depending on variety— some are less than 10 inches tall, but standard varieties grow 1 to 2 feet tall, with a spread of about 12 inches.
Bok Choy Care
Brassica Rapa Subsp. Chinensis
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Humidity
Normal
Lighting
Part Sun
Hardiness zone
6 - 9
Difficulty
Medium
Hibernation
Cold Period
Invasive
Weed
How to Care for the Plant
Water
Bok choy needs consistent watering, especially in the fall. Drought can cause it to bolt to seed.
Pruning
Slice the plants off about 1 inch above the ground and they should re-sprout for you. The resprouted plants will be smaller, but still delicious.
Fertilizer
Add compost and organic fertilizer to the soil when planting bok choy. These plants are heavy feeders, preferring soil that is rich in potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. But feeding should be done with organic at the time of planting, not using chemical fertilizers during its growing period.
Sunlight
Bok choy can handle full sun, but it grows best in part shade. It needs about 3 to 5 hours of sun each day.
Soil
You'll need well-draining soil with a lot of rich, organic matter mixed in. Bok choy will grow in a soil pH from 6.0 to 7.5, although something in the 6.5 to 7.0 range is best.
Temperature
Bok choy grows as an annual in every hardiness zone in the U.S. It does best in cooler weather; dry and hot conditions can cause bok choy to bolt prematurely. This vegetable is not as winter hardy as smaller leaved Asian greens, but it may be winter-hardy under cover in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 7. However, it will quickly bolt to seed the following spring.
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