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Pak Choi Growing Experience

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  • Pak Choi Growing Experience

    I know Pak Choi has gotten quite mainstream and are available in big supermarkets as well as even Lidl. I see it in some british vegetable patches but a common complaint is premature bolting. I say premature because they do bolt eventually and once it is fully grown, a central flowering stem is quite the delicacy to top it off!

    I tried quite a few varieties this year.

    For white stalk varieties i found that Joi Choi, a F1 hybrid is as bolt resistant as its popularity proves. It seems to tolerate hot and cold. Grows to quite a decent size. Tai Sai is another variety that is similar. Pests seemed to prefer other varieties.

    I am growing them in Scotland and despite our wet, cloudy and cold summer they did well. They outperformed all the other pak choi in terms of yield. Juicy, fat white stalks and dark green spoon shaped leaves which sometimes are quite huge, making them look like a cabbage or lettuce leaf.

    In terms of flavour it was ok. It certainly cannot compare to the gourmet varieties from chinatown which are imported but those tend to be the ultra tender and trimmed baby varieties. The very young leaves are certainly super tender.

    So if you have no luck with pak choi i would try Joi Choi or Tai Sai. I sowed them in may and have been harvesting outer leaves as well as whole plants. If those don't perform for you then i'd give up.

    For green stalk varieties i found they all succeeded. They tend to be quite cold resistant and the default varieties sold in supermarkets which are often grown by UK farmers. The ribs tend to be more tender and sweet than standard white versions i find. Not as high yield as the white versions. There are bigger varieties as well as more dwarf varieties. I found they all did well. The dwarf ones are more tender and i found the caterpillars though so as well.

    Varieties i tried included Mei Qing Choi, Green Revolution, Black Summer. The last one didn't seem to germinate well.

    I tried the red varieties but those don't seem as high yielding and i wasn't really impressed by the results but it could have been me so will try those again. One of them was suggested for baby leaf so that is fair enough.

    One tip is to sow them indoors in modules. Joy Larkom suggests that one way to help prevent bolting is to have them sown, germinate and grow initially in a relatively warmer temperature. Once they clock up enough warmth hours they seem to be able to better withstand conditions outside. I think this is true as i had a whole container i put outside prematurely with many different varieties and they all are flowering even though they are like 4cm tall.

    Transplanting smallish plants also means they get a head start before pests can decimate them when planted out. Transplants can often withstand some pest activity better. Also be sure to plant the tap root under the soil or it will easily snap in the wind. I normally make sure the soil it just under the first true leaves, that means the cotyledon will often be under the soil.

    I grow mine in containers usually. I use a fair bit of perlite to ensure drainage as they can get easily waterlogged due to rain in Scotland and end up yellowing. The flipside is that they can easily dry out if we do have a few warm and dry days so make sure to water daily or twice daily if you grow in containers and they dry out. They do need a fair bit of water when they burst into growth after you transplant, fertilize and they get some sun.

    Beware of fertilizing with too much nitrogen, it does make them grow huge lush leaves that almost spill out the container like they are lettuces but that attracts the aphids / greenfly. Do fertilize but don't overdo it, especially at the early stages.

    I haven't grown much for a long time so i will update with more in time as i am still learning too and have gathered many varieties of seeds to try till i find my favourite ones for my conditions and tastes.

    I know there have been previous topics but most seem to be "my pak choi bolted" and i fear the person gives up, never to try again and only a little useful advice.

    Will add in pictures when it is not raining outside. lol

  • #2
    Never tried pak choi till this year because of the notoriety for going to seed. However I tried some in pots about 5 weeks ago having been told they take about 10 weeks to mature and they are ready now!! Shame because I needed them to contribute to a display at the NVS National Show in Dundee on the first weekend in September. Second sowing on the way. Yes some have bolted but some are of the same standard as supermarkets sell so I'm well chuffed. Hope my second sowing is as quick and as successful.

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    • #3
      Pak Choi is one of my staples, I grow them in window boxes in the cold frame and pick them nice and young. They seem to be one of the few things that love the Scottish climate!
      Looking forward to trying Joi Choi as recommended by the OP. My preferred variety is Yuushou.
      Last edited by bario1; 31-07-2015, 09:09 AM. Reason: spelling
      He-Pep!

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      • #4
        I love 'em. Pre-allotment, I was used to growing them in containers and using as baby leaf, so I'm absolutely made over to see them huge and gorgeous in the plot - holed by flea-beetle, but delicious nonetheless! I was surprised to see some in another plot on the site (it's a very small site) as it's mostly lovely old-timers, and I didn't think they'd go for the choi.

        Oddly, my reds have bolted, but the whites haven't.

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        • #5
          The reds always bolt, I stopped growing them.
          He-Pep!

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