Long, crisp leaves packed into an upright head, delicious and low on carbohydrates: Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis and Brassica chinensis) covers two great families, napa cabbage and bak choy. Sown in summer, it asks for only one thing — soil kept consistently moist — and repays it with harvests stretching from midsummer to late winter.
| Name | Brassica pekinensis and Brassica chinensis |
|---|---|
| Family | Brassicaceae |
| Type | biennial vegetable |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | cool, deep, moist and rich |
| Harvest | Midsummer to late winter depending on the variety |
Also called Peking cabbage, there are 2 major families, napa cabbage and bak choy.
Chinese cabbage is sown in summer.
When the first leaves appear, thin and keep the most vigorous seedlings, about one per foot.
If you purchase seedlings that are ready to plant, it is possible to plant them all summer long, even until the beginning of fall if your climate allows for it.
Easy to care for, Chinese cabbage is mostly only vulnerable to early bolting, which would keep the head from shaping up well.
Spread a layer of straw or grass clippings around the base to hold moisture in and keep the shallow roots cool.
Weed by hand or hoe only shallowly, since most of Chinese cabbage’s feeder roots lie within the top few inches of soil and are easily damaged by deep cultivation.
Check under the outer leaves for slugs and snails, which shred the tender hearts of Chinese cabbage.
Strip off yellowing outer leaves as they appear so air moves freely around the forming head.
Chinese cabbage needs more or less 2 months ½ lead time before harvest.
For a winter harvest, perfectly possible in Mediterranean-like climates:
Harvest the main head all at once; the cut stump may resprout loose leaves or a small, loose secondary head, but it will not produce another full-sized, tightly packed napa cabbage.
Lift the stump and roots out of the bed once the head is cut, so cabbage fly larvae lose their shelter.
Chinese cabbage stays easy to grow, but a handful of pests and one disease account for most losses. The table matches each warning sign to the response given further down.
| Problem | Warning sign | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cabbage fly | Slow growth, wilting leaves, tunnels around the root crown | Set up a larvae barrier around the plants |
| Downy mildew | Spreads wherever the foliage stays damp | Avoid watering the leaves and space plants so air circulates |
| Aphids | Insects settled on the leaves | Natural control only, never chemical treatments |
| Large white caterpillars | Leaves eaten away by a ravenous leaf-eater | Natural control only, to avoid contaminating soil and crop |
| Early bolting | The head never shapes up | Keep the soil consistently moist, water in a light drizzle |
Read the sections below for the detail on each one.
If your Chinese cabbage is slow to grow and that its leaves start wilting, they are probably under attack by the cabbage fly.
Chinese cabbage can fall victim to downy mildew. Moisture is the first cause of downy mildew spread.
Note that Chinese cabbage is also the target of aphids and the caterpillars of a ravenous leaf-eater, the large white.
For these two parasites, avoid chemical treatments at any cost, because your vegetables and soil could be contaminated.
As you till, provide your cabbage with nutrients (fertilizer, manure and seaweed-based compost) to boost growth and greatly enhance your harvest!
