How to grow bok choy / pak choi

Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis · Brassicaceae · Vegetable

Bok Choy / Pak Choi is a cool-season vegetable in the Brassicaceae family, grown either from a direct sowing or from transplants. It wants full sun, though it tolerates a little afternoon shade in hot regions and consistent moisture — it resents drying out. From sowing to first pick is about 35–50 days. It shrugs off a light frost but a hard freeze will damage it.

Grower’s note: Bolts quickly in heat or after a cold spell in spring, so the fall crop is more dependable. Grow it fast with steady water for tender stalks; baby heads at 4-6 in are the sweet spot.

Sowing

Sow about 0.5″ deep, into soil between 45–85°F — germination is quickest near 70°F. It comes up fast (4–8 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 4 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 8″ along the row with roughly 12″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 10″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 8″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, bok choy / pak choi does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. A second sowing in late summer, timed to mature as the weather cools, is usually the better crop of the year — though a hard freeze will end it.

Quick facts

When to plant bok choy / pak choi

Companions

Common problems

Pests: flea beetle, cabbage worm, aphids, slugs.

Diseases & disorders: clubroot, downy mildew.

Same family (Brassicaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.