Pak Choi

Hi All

Has anybody grown Pak Choi from seed, if yes can you advise me please there is nothing in my books about them!

Thanks
Dave

 

If your book has details on Chinese Cabbage then Pak Choi will be the same :thumb:

Generally sown in Summer - if grown with lengthening day length it tends to bolt, thus better grown after Spuds, Peas or Broad Beans.

 

Hi David. Yes I grow Pak Choi - one of my favourites.
In some ways it's easy - but can be a little bit tricky. I'll try to explain.
Germination is very easy - sow the seeds and they're up in no time.
They don't want any great temperature - cool and damp is what they like.
Basically, they are short day plants and do well when there is more hours of darkness in the day than light.
So, they do well early and late in the season and are hopeless in midsummer - they just bolt to seed.
I grow some late spring and early autumn. They are quite hardy. They don't like to be in bright sun all day and they like to be very damp. In some ways not too different from lettuce, just a little bit fussier.
They don't like to be transplanted so don't grow them in a seed tray for pricking out. But germination is so good you can go for 1 seed in a small cell and plant them out from there.
They grow fine in containers so a few in a pot on the north side of the house can be quite successful.
Hope this helps and good luck.
PS the variety I have found easiest is Mei Quing Choi - but the others are OK.

 

I start mine in Jiffis (or rather the cheap equivilant). Three seeds to each. When germinated single up and pot the jiffi into a 7cm pot and grow on in the greenhouse. When large enough plant the contents of the pot into the polytunnel border (or cloche them outdoors if the weather is warm enough) and watch 'em go. I do a dozen at a time. My best and most prolific vegetable ever. Leave one to go to seed and you'll never have to buy seeds again. I shall be doing my first dozen of the year next weekend (I'm in Lincolnshire). Pulled the last two that overwintered last weekend to give to the chickens.

Pick, wash, cut into quarters, steam and eat - great with home made chinese or as an alternative to spinach in a curry.