Black Summer Green is an F1 hybrid pac choi bred for the heat of summer gardening, with beautiful dark green leaves that mature in just 45 days. This exclusive variety from Johnny's Selected Seeds thrives in moderate water conditions and tolerates light frosts, making it reliable across spring through fall planting windows. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches wide, and you'll have tender, harvestable heads suited to both fresh eating and cooking.
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Moderate
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Moderate
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The dark green coloring is the real standout here, a visual marker of this hybrid's specificity among pac choi varieties. Johnny's bred this one to handle summer heat without bolting prematurely, which is a genuine challenge for Asian greens when temperatures fluctuate. At 45 days from seed to harvest, it slots neatly into succession plantings, allowing gardeners to stagger sowings every few weeks for continuous supply through the season.
Black Summer Green is harvested before flowering and used fresh in stir-fries, soups, and salads, where its tender leaves and mild stems shine. The quick 45-day harvest window and compact bush growth make it excellent for succession planting, allowing cooks to maintain a steady supply of fresh pac choi throughout the growing season.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds in 128 or 72-cell trays 2 to 4 weeks before transplanting outdoors. Keep germination temperatures between 55 and 70°F. Avoid allowing seedlings to become rootbound or stressed before transplanting, as this triggers premature bolting. Bring transplants outdoors only after they've hardened off and soil temperatures stabilize.
Transplant seedlings outdoors 2 to 4 weeks after sowing. Space plants 6 inches apart with 18 inches between rows. In mild climates, fall sowing works well; in colder regions, use a high tunnel or protected structure for fall crops.
Direct sow seeds outdoors during early spring through midsummer when soil temperatures are 55 to 70°F. In the South, fall sowing is well adapted.
Harvest Black Summer Green before it flowers, typically 45 days after seeding. Cut plants at the base or pull them whole when heads feel firm and leaves are tender. The shorter time to harvest compared to some pac choi varieties means you can stagger sowings for continuous supply.
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“Black Summer Green is an exclusive Johnny's Selected Seeds hybrid, developed specifically to address a common headache for pac choi growers: premature bolting triggered by temperature swings. By crossing parent plants selected for heat tolerance and stable growth, breeders created an F1 variety that resists the bolting impulse that seedlings experience when nights dip below 50°F. This hybrid represents the modern approach to vegetable breeding, where genetics are tuned to solve real problems gardeners face rather than chance environmental variation.”