How to Grow Bok Choy From Seed

Bok choy is a fast, cool-season green, so aim for the mild shoulders of the year. Direct-sow it in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, then again in late summer for a fall crop that often tastes sweetest after a light frost. Skip the middle of summer, when heat and long days push it straight to flower. In mild-winter regions like the Gulf Coast or coastal California, it grows happily right through fall and winter.

Sow seeds about a quarter to half an inch deep in rich, well-drained soil, spacing them a few inches apart in rows. Keep the bed evenly moist and seedlings pop up fast, usually in 4 to 10 days at around 55 to 70F. Thin to 4 to 6 inches apart for baby heads or 6 to 12 inches for full size. Bok choy has shallow roots that resent disturbance, so either direct-sow or transplant young seedlings from cells before they get rootbound.

Steady moisture and cool weather are the whole game with bok choy. Water regularly so it never dries out, mulch to keep the roots cool, and feed lightly with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for lush leaves. Watch for flea beetles and cabbage worms and cover young plants with a light row cover if they show up. In hot regions like Texas or the Southeast, grow it as a fall and winter crop and give it afternoon shade, since a warm spell after cold nights is what tips it into bolting.

Bok choy is a friendly bed-mate for many quick vegetables and flowers, and a few good neighbors help pull pests away from its tender leaves. These four make especially good companions, and you can add any of them in one click:

You can start picking outer leaves once plants are a few inches tall for a cut-and-come-again supply, or cut the whole head at the base when it is plump and crisp. For baby bok choy, harvest young at around 30 days; for full heads, wait 45 to 55 days. Cutting the head about an inch above the soil rather than pulling it often coaxes a second flush of small leaves.

Bok choy is crisp, mild, and quick to cook, which makes it a workhorse green. Slice the young stems and leaves raw into slaws and salads, or add them near the end of stir-fries, ramen, soups, and noodle bowls so they stay bright and snappy. Halved heads also grill or roast beautifully, caramelizing at the edges while the stems stay juicy. The whole plant is edible, stems and leaves alike.

• Bolting: a cold snap followed by warm days or long summer daylight sends bok choy to flower. Grow it in steady spring or fall weather and keep it watered.
• Flea beetles: tiny holes shot through the leaves. Cover young plants with a light row cover and plant radishes or nasturtiums nearby as a trap crop.
• Cabbage worms and slugs: hand-pick caterpillars, set out slug traps, and keep the bed tidy so pests have nowhere to hide.
• Bitter or tough leaves: usually heat or drought stress. Keep the soil evenly moist, add mulch, and harvest young in cool weather.