If I were to list my favorite greens in the garden for stir fries, growing bok choy would be at the top of my list. One of those shoulder season crops that are easy to grow, I sow bok choy seeds in the spring for an early-season harvest, and in the late summer for a fall crop. In this article, I’ll share tips on growing bok choy from seed, as well as how to prevent pests from destroying those luscious leaves.

Also called pak choy or pok choy, bok choy (Brassica rapa, var. chinensis) is a type of Chinese cabbage that’s a popular staple in Asian cuisines. There are two types of bok choy you’ll generally find at the grocery store and in seed catalogs. White bok choy has more emerald-colored leaves with a white fleshy stem. Shanghai bok choy leaves are all green and paler in color.

Different varieties of bok choy you’ll see in seed catalogs

When searching in a seed catalog or online catalog, look under both bok choy and pak, poc, or pac choy as they could be listed as one or the other. Varieties I’ve purchased for my garden include Toy Choi, Joi Choi, Green Jewel, and Mei Qing Choi.

Starting bok choy seeds indoors

If you want to get a head start on growing bok choy, you can start seeds indoors. Fill your seed-starting tray or pot with dampened seed-starting mix. Plant bok choy seeds about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and about a quarter of an inch (½ cm) deep.

Keep the soil moist. I like to use a mister, which waters more gently than a watering can (you don’t want to wash the seeds or young seedlings away. My new favorite watering tool is a seedling sprayer from Lee Valley Tools, which also waters gently.

When the plants are about 3 inches (7.5 cm) tall, they are ready to be transplanted in the garden. Space them about 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) apart to give the plants room to grow.

Transplanting bok choy seedlings to the garden

Even though they’re cold tolerant, bok choy transplants need to be hardened off before planting. Add your young bok choy plants to a vegetable garden that gets full sun. A little partial shade is okay for plants, especially if you live in a warmer climate. Top-dress the soil with compost before planting.

Growing bok choy from seed outdoors

Bok choy is one of those cool-season veggies I plant as soon as the soil can be worked. I’ll often cover the bed with floating row cover to add a little extra warmth and in case of frost. It doubles as protection from flea beetles—if they haven’t overwintered in the soil.

If I know I’m planting in one of my raised beds in the spring, I’ll amend it with compost in the fall so it’s ready for planting. Use the same distance and depth to sow seeds outdoors as you would in—about two inches (5 cm) and a quarter of an inch (½ cm) deep. Keep the soil evenly moist to encourage good seed germination. Your seed packet should also provide these details.

Add bok choy seeds to your succession planting plan. Sow seeds again in late summer for a fall crop.

Caring for bok choy plants

Water bok choy plants regularly. These plants are considered to be heavy feeders. Apply an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen, such as a fish emulsion, two to three times during the growing season to encourage lots of leafy greens.

Bok choy plants are biennials, so they usually don’t bolt until the second year. However a really hot dry spell can cause plants to bolt in that first year, sending up flower stalks before you’ve harvested. Shade cloth can delay all your leafy green vegetables from bolting.

Protecting bok choy from pests

Flea beetles are the biggest threat to the bok choy growing in my garden. While I don’t mind holey produce, sometimes there’s not much left of the leaves to eat!

If I’m ahead of the game, I’ll cover my spring-sown crops with floating row cover to protect my plants from eventual cabbage moths and/or cabbage butterflies. Cabbage loopers and cabbage worms can also decimate leaves.

Flea beetles, unfortunately, can overwinter in the soil. Crop rotation can help to mitigate their damage. Aphids and slugs can also damage the foliage.

When to harvest bok choy

It can take about 35 to 45 days for bok choy plants to mature. Your seed packet should tell you when plants are ready. As mentioned, if the weather gets too warm and/or the plants aren’t watered regularly, bolting may occur.

Dwarf bok choy varieties will give you those baby bok choy heads that are popular in supermarkets. You can either harvest the whole plant, by gently pulling it from the soil. Or, you can use the cut-and-come-again method of harvesting, which involves cutting away the outer leaves of the plant with a sharp knife or scissors.

Be sure to wash bok choy thoroughly before serving or cooking to remove soil and any pests that are lurking between the leaves.

I use bok choy a lot in stir fries, but it’s also a great green to add to soups.

Other leafy greens to grow

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Mustard
• New Zealand spinach