Pak Choi is a mild-flavored cabbage relative that delivers crisp, tender greens in a compact package. Unlike its punchier brassica cousins, it offers a gentle, approachable flavor that shines in stir-fries and quick-cooked dishes. The plant produces thick green leaves atop a distinctive crunchy white base, all on a smallish frame that fits easily into home gardens. Cold-tolerant and reluctant to bolt, it thrives in moderate water and soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5, making it a reliable cool-season crop for both spring and fall gardening.
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Moderate
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Moderate
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Pak Choi stands apart for its mildness compared to other brassicas, paired with an appealing contrast of tender green leaves and crisp white stems. The plant's compact size and slow bolting habit make it surprisingly forgiving for gardeners new to asian greens, while its cold tolerance means you can harvest well into autumn. Space plants just 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart, and you'll have plenty of tender bunches ready for the wok or salad bowl.
Pak Choi is an excellent choice for stir-frying, where its tender leaves wilt quickly and its white base stays pleasantly crunchy. The entire plant is edible, and the contrast in texture between the delicate greens and substantial stems makes it visually striking and satisfying to cook with.
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Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost or 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost, keeping soil temperature between 55 and 70°F for reliable germination.
Transplant hardened-off seedlings outdoors when soil temperature reaches 55°F or warmer. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Pak Choi tolerates frost and can be planted earlier in spring than heat-loving crops.
Direct sow seeds in prepared beds when soil temperature reaches 55°F. Plant in rows spaced 18 inches apart and thin seedlings to 6 inches apart once they develop true leaves.
Harvest outer leaves once the plant reaches usable size, or cut the entire head at the base when it reaches desired size. Pak Choi can be harvested young for tender, delicate bunches or left to mature for larger plants. The plant's slow bolting tendency gives you a generous harvest window throughout the cool season.
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