Bok Choy Plant Guide: How to Grow Bok Choy

Bok choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) is an annual or biennial cruciferous vegetable plant that is native to China. It has thick, green stalks that grow vertically in a tight, rosette-shaped bunch with bright green leaves that bloom upwards and outwards. Bok choy—also known as Chinese cabbage, bok choi, and pak choi—is a member of the cabbage family that makes a popular ingredient in Asian cuisines such as stir-fries or noodle soups. There are several varieties of bok choy, including baby bok choy, which is a popular variety for cooking because of its smaller size.

Bok choy grows quickly, and you can usually harvest the whole crop within one season. You can grow this frost-hardy vegetable in both hot weather and cold weather, and it thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones two to eleven.

You can plant bok choy outside in early spring for a late spring harvest, or in late summer through early fall for a late fall crop. If you’re planting the seeds in early spring, germinate them inside and move them to your garden soil after the last frost date passes. Fluctuating temperatures may cause your bok choy plants to bolt, meaning they sprout flowering stalks that render the plant unharvestable). Check your local weather to choose the right time to plant your seeds, and make sure that the temperature is consistently below fifty degrees Fahrenheit (or consistently above that temperature).

You can propagate bok choy using the leftover bok choy scraps from a bushel that you bought at the grocery store. Follow these simple steps to propagate bok choy from a harvested plant.

1. 1. Cut the base off a plant. Cut the white base off of a leaf of bok choy using a sharp knife so that about two to three inches of stalk remain.
2. 2. Soak your bok choy cutting. Place the base of your bok choy cutting upright in a bowl filled with one inch of warm water. Place the bowl in a warm spot, such as a windowsill.
3. 3. Replace the water. Replace the water in the bowl every two days. After two weeks, your bok choy should start to show new leafy growth.
4. 4. Replant your bok choy. Once your bok choy base has some leafy green growth, you can transfer it to the soil. Choose a container with drainage holes if you’re planting it in a pot or container to make sure that you have well-draining soil. Fill the pot with potting soil amended with organic fertilizer and compost. Bury the bok choy base so that only the leafy growths are showing. You can also plant the bok choy base directly into the soil of a vegetable garden.
5. 5. Water your bok choy. Water your freshly planted cutting immediately after you plant it.

Bok choy is a fast-growing plant that should be ready to harvest within forty-five to sixty days if you’re planting it from seeds. If you’re propagating cuttings, they may be ready to harvest within a month. Your plant is ready to harvest when its outer leaves become leafy and start to bloom away from the central stalk. To harvest bok choy, cut away its outer leaves, leaving the smaller inner leaves to continue to develop in the ground as the plant matures. Cut your plant down to just the stalk once you’ve harvested all its leaves. At this point, it may produce one more harvest before the growing season is over.

Here are some additional tips for caring for your bok choy plants.

1. 1. Watering: Bok choy prefers moist soil, but overwatering can lead to root rot. Water your bok choy plants with about one inch of water a week during its growing season, taking care to keep the first inch of soil moist consistently.
2. 2. Light: Bok choy grows best in full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. Partial shade is preferable if you’re growing this plant in the summer because too much direct sunlight can harm your plant’s tender leaves.
3. 3. Fertilizing: Bok choy is a heavy feeder and needs healthy soil rich in potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Use organic fertilizers and organic matter compost during the growing period to encourage your bok choy to flourish.
4. 4. Pests: Bok choy can be susceptible to infestation by pests such as flea beetles, cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, slugs, whiteflies, and aphids. The best way to protect your bok choy plants is to use a row cover—or a structure tented with fabric—over the area where you’re growing bok choy.

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