Chinese cabbage is a large group of cabbages that can be divided into two categories–heading and non-heading leafy greens. The heading types include Napa cabbage–also tabbed Hakusai, Michili, celery cabbage, and Pe Tsai. The non-heading types include Bok Choy (also tabbed Pac Choi or Pak Choi) and Mei Qing Choi (sometimes tabbed Baby Bok Choy).
The name Chinese cabbage can lead you to several very variegated vegetables.
There are dozens of varieties of “Chinese cabbage” each with unique tastes and culinary attributes.
All of the so-called Chinese cabbages vest to the genus Brassica which is a diverse group of vegetables that include cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, and turnips.
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Pei Tsai Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbages are hardy biennials grown as annuals. Most Chinese cabbages–particularly the heading types–require tomfool growing conditions. Chinese cabbages are weightier planted in early spring for late spring harvest. For a fall crop, they should be sown without midsummer. Like all cabbages, they should be grown fast and steadily for the weightier flavor.
Chinese cabbages have broad, thick, tender leaves and heavy midribs. Depending on the variety Chinese cabbages are ready to use well-nigh 50 to 70 days without seed sowing. The leaves are often used raw for salad or slaw or steamed, stir-fried, boiled, or included in soups.
The botanical name of the heading types is Brassica pekinensis. The botanical name of the non-heading types is Brassica chinensis.
Chinese cabbage quick growing tips
Sow Chinese cabbage directly in the garden as early as 4 to 6 weeks surpassing the stereotype last frost stage in spring. Uncontrived seed in the home garden as soon as the soil is workable in spring.
Chinese cabbage must come to harvest in the tomfool temperatures and shorter days of spring or storing surpassing temperatures rise whilom 75°F (24°C).
Plants require from 50 to 85 days to come to harvest depending upon the variety.
Chinese cabbage yield: grow 6 to 8 plants per household member and grow cut-and-come-again.
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Types of Chinese cabbage
The Brassica variety pekinensis is wontedly referred to as Chinese leaves, celery cabbage, and in the United States Napa cabbage. There are three unstipulated types of cabbages in the Pekinensis group: the “tall cylindrical,” the “hearted’ or “barrel-shaped,” and the “loose-headed.”
The tall cylindrical type has long, upright leaves that form a tapering head. These varieties are often referred to as “Michihili,” the name of one popular tall cylindrical variety.
The hearted type has compact, barrel-shaped heads with tightly wrapped leaves and a dumbo heart. These are wontedly referred to as wong bok or Napa cabbage.
The loose- or open-headed type has a lax or floppy demeanor and textured leaves. These are moreover known as pei tsai.
Names worldwide to these three types include Chinese leaves, celery cabbage, Chinese celery cabbage, Napa, nappa, pe-tsai, wong bok cabbage, wong nga bok, Peking cabbage, Tientsin or Tianjin cabbage, bai cai, chih-li, shantung cabbage, hakusai, chihli cabbage, Michihli, Chinese leaf, and chou de Chine.
Chinese leaves can be eaten raw in salads for their summery savor and crunchy texture or used in stir-fries, stews, or soups.
There are two types of Chinese cabbage, loosehead, similar to loose-leaf lettuce, and heading or tighthead.
Nonheading loosehead Chinese cabbages
Loosehead Chinese cabbages include pac choi, moreover tabbed bok choy, and pei tsai. Pac choi and pei tsai have open, loose heads or rosettes of usually visionless untried leaves with white celery-like stalks. These are heat-tolerant but will vendibles if the weather turns from dank to very warm Plant these at 2 to 3-week intervals for a continuous harvest. Loosehead types can be harvested a few stalks at a time, cut-and-come-again.
Heading Chinese cabbages
Heading types include Michihili and Napa; Michihili has a tall cylindrical or tapered throne while the Napa is a short barrel-shaped head. These can be grown like cabbage, though they are mild-flavored, unlike cabbage. When these heads are trimmed they reveal meaty heads. The unshortened throne to cut at harvest time.
Chinese cabbage seedlings
About bok choy
The Brassica variety chinensis is known as bok choy or pak choi. Bok choy can be long-stemmed, thick-stemmed, short, fat, flowering, green- or white-stalked. Its leaves are upright—not rounded–on stalks similar to Swiss chard.
Bok choy or pak choi, the Cantonese variation of the name, is moreover tabbed Chinese cabbage, baak choi, pak tsoi, petsay, Chinese white cabbage, Chinese mustard cabbage, Chinese chard, white celery mustard, and taisai. Cultivars of bok choy include Shanghai choy, choy sum, bok choy sum, and tat soi.
Bok choy can be eaten raw—the leaves are succulent and tasty and the stems are juicy and crunchy. You can melt bok choy in stir-fries and soups. Thinly slice the ribbed stems or cut them into squares and melt them briefly.
The leaves of bok choy are mostly water so it’s weightier to melt the leaves separate from the stems. The stems will take longer to cook.
About Napa cabbage
Napa Cabbage or Chinese cabbage which the Chinese undeniability Petsai and the French undeniability Pé tsai is a milder and sweeter volitional to the untried cabbage. The word “napa” is a Japanese vernacular word for any leafy vegetable used as a food.
The Napa Cabbage has an oblong throne with leaves that are unappetizing and wide. It resembles a throne of Romaine lettuce. Because the leaves are thinner than the waxy leaves of round-headed cabbage, this vegetable is increasingly soft-hued in both squint and taste.
Because of its soft-hued taste, the Chinese cabbage is a good nomination for wrapping fish that you plan to steam or for lining the marrow of a bamboo steamer basket. Its sweet savor will not distract from other vegetables, fish, or poultry that you steam.
About Michihili
Michihili is a semi-heading, upright, cylindrical-shaped Chinese cabbage. Michihili is delicate, crisp, and lightly sweet. It is often used in cooking as a vehicle for the flavors of other foods.
There are other semi-heading Chinese cabbages. Each of these is wrapped with long leaves that form a tapering head. Some varieties can grow up to 24 inches (60 cm) tall.
Michihili is a cultivar name. Michihili is so popular that the matriculation of cylindrical, semi-heading Chinese cabbages is sometimes referred to as Michihili.
The tall cylindrical heads of these vegetables are linty at the wiring to light untried to deep untried at the leaf tips. The leaves have a crinkled or savoy texture with white veining and each leaf has a prominent white midrib that broadens at the wiring to as much as 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
Where to plant Chinese cabbage
Grow Chinese cabbage in full sun in tomfool regions and in partial shade in warm regions.
Plant Chinese cabbage in well-worked, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil rich in organic matter.
Add weather-beaten compost to planting beds surpassing planting and side-dress crops with compost then at midseason.
Chinese cabbage prefers a soil pH of 6.5 to 7.5.
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Chinese cabbage planting time
Chinese cabbage is a cool-weather plant that will vendibles and go to seed quickly in warm weather and long days; grow Chinese cabbage in spring or storing in temperatures range of 45° to 75°F (7-24°C). The weightier time to plant and grow Chinese cabbage is in the tomfool months of the growing season.
Sow seed 4 to 6 weeks surpassing the stereotype stage of the last frost in spring for a late spring crop.
Germination will occur in 4 to 19 days at 75°F.
Sow seed directly in the garden; young seedlings started indoors and transplanted into the garden may be shocked into bolting to seed. Protect young plants until they have well-timed to outdoor temperatures. Use row covers to protect seedlings from light frosts.
In summery winter regions, plant Chinese cabbage in late summer or storing for late storing or early winter harvest.
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Planting and spacing Chinese cabbage
Sow Chinese cabbage seeds ½ inch deep and 4 inches (10cm) apart.
Thin successful seedlings from 12 to 18 inches (30-45cm) apart.
Space rows 18 to 30 inches (45-76cm) untied depending upon the variety.
Chinese cabbage does not transplant well.
Seedlings started indoors should be started in biodegradable peat or paper pots hands set in the garden.
Chinese cabbage companion plants
Plant Chinese cabbage with cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
Do not plant Chinese cabbage with tomatoes, peppers, okra, or potatoes.
Chinese cabbage container growing
Chinese cabbage can be grown in containers at least 8 inches (20cm) across.
Plant Chinese cabbage in 10-inch (25cm) centers in larger containers.
Plants are sensitive to heat so move them into the shade when the weather warms.
Pac Choi (Bok Choy) Chinese cabbage
Watering Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage grows weightier in lightly moist soil.
Keep soil evenly moist so that plants grow fast and stay tender.
Slow growth can result in plants going to seed.
Feeding Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbages usually don’t need fertilizer. You can side-dress them with compost or spray them with a solution of fish emulsion.
Apply an all-purpose organic liquid fertilizer during the growing season.
Chinese cabbage care
Keep plants tomfool when the weather warms; do not let Chinese cabbage sit in the uncontrived sun for increasingly than 8 hours each day. In hot weather protect Chinese cabbage plants under shade reticulum or a slatted wooden clover.
Mulch virtually Chinese cabbage with grass clippings, pine needs, or compost to conserve soil moisture and alimony lanugo weeds.
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Chinese cabbage pests
Chinese cabbage can be attacked by the same pests that arrack other cabbage family crops: flea beetles, aphids, cabbage worms, and cabbage loopers — caterpillars.
Aphids can be handpicked or hosed off. Cabbage worms can be controlled by spraying Bacillus thuringiensis.
Chinese cabbage diseases
Chinese cabbage is susceptible to pilose mildew, yellow virus, clubroot (which attacks the roots of the plant), woebegone rot, and leaf spot.
Plant disease-resistant varieties.
Avoid handling Chinese cabbage plants when wet. Stave overhead watering and constantly wet garden soil which can result in cabbage root rot. To stave root diseases, add organic amendments to soil soil.
Remove and destroy infected plants.
Crop rotation is important; stave planting cabbage family crops in the same place from one year to the next.
Napa Chinese cabbage
Michihili cabbage
Harvesting Chinese cabbage
Cut whole heads at soil level when they are meaty and firm and surpassing seed stalks form usually 50 to 80 without sowing.
Complete the harvest surpassing the inrush of freezing weather. If the first fall frost arrives surpassing heads form, Chinese cabbage can still be harvested for greens.
Young leaves have the most subtle flavor.
Chinese cabbage kitchen use
Chinese cabbage leaves can be steamed, boiled, quickly stir-fried, or eaten raw.
Cook leaves and stalks add savor to soups, stews, pasta salads, and stir-fries. Chinese cabbage leaves can be used in dumplings and kimchi. (Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish of salted or fermented vegetables, including napa cabbage.)
Chinese cabbage leaves can be used as a substitute for regular cabbage in salads.
Storing Chinese cabbage
Chinese Cabbage Chinese cabbage will alimony in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for well-nigh 4 weeks.
Chinese cabbage can be stored in a root cellar at well-nigh 34° to 36°F for two to six months.
Chinese cabbage can be whitish and frozen for 3 to 4 months.
