VegetableCabbage
Da Hong Summer Cabbage
Da Hong Summer Cabbage is a hybrid pak choi bred to handle heat and temperature swings that send other Chinese cabbages bolting. This purple-tinged variety forms denser, more compact heads than typical pak choi, with firm petioles that hold up well on warm-season tables. Ready to harvest in 40-49 days, it grows 12-18 inches tall and thrives in full sun across zones 2-10, making it a reliable choice for gardeners who want fresh Asian greens even when summer turns unforgiving.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained Loam, Tolerates Poor Soils
Growth Stats
18 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-10
Size
18in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The real advantage here is heat tolerance paired with structural integrity. Da Hong Summer forms a noticeably developed head, denser than its purple pak choi cousins, with petioles firm enough to keep their crunch through warm spells and temperature fluctuations between day and night. You can grow this when other pak choi varieties would be stressed or bolting, and the plant delivers a genuinely useful texture for cooking rather than loose, fragile leaves.
Common Uses
This is a cooking green through and through. The firm petioles and developed head structure make it excellent for stir-fries, where you want texture that doesn't collapse into mush. You can also harvest it at microgreen stage (10-15 days) for garnish and nutritional density, or take baby leaves at 20-30 days for salads and light sautés. At full maturity around 45 days, the whole head works beautifully braised or added to soups where the petioles hold their shape.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your target transplant date, keeping soil temperature around 70°F for reliable germination. This variety will be ready to transplant in about 3-4 weeks. Harden off seedlings for 7-10 days before moving them outside.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant outdoors when soil temperature reaches at least 50°F and plants have 2-3 true leaves. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. Transplanting works well in spring as soon as frost danger passes, or in late summer for a fall crop.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds in garden soil after the last spring frost when soil has warmed. You can also succession sow every 2-3 weeks through summer for continuous harvests, though spring sowings will mature fastest. Plant seeds roughly 1/4 inch deep.
Harvesting
You have flexibility here. Harvest microgreens at 10-15 days when the first true leaves appear; baby leaf at 20-30 days for tender salad use; or wait the full 40-49 days for mature heads with developed petioles and firm structure. For the full head, cut at soil level when the plant reaches 12-18 inches tall. The firmer petioles of this variety mean the head holds together well, so you can harvest outer leaves selectively if you prefer, or take the whole plant at once.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Brassica rapa var chinensis
Family
Brassicaceae
Genus
Brassica
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)HI (I)CAN (I)GL (I)