Bok Choy
Pak Choi, Chinese Cabbage, White Stem Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Bok Choi, Chinese Mustard, Chinese White Cabbage, Bok-Choy
Fast-growing cool-season brassica. Direct sow or transplant in early spring or late summer/fall. Bolts rapidly in heat or long days — spring window is short. Harvest whole heads before bolt stalk elongates, or harvest outer leaves continuously. Baby bok choy varieties mature in 35–40 days. Excellent for row cover protection against flea beetles.
- Germination
- 4–7 days
- Soil temperature
- 7–24 °C
- Harvest after sowing
- 45–60 days
- Spacing
- 15–30 cm
When to plant bok choy
Sow outdoors 8–10 weeks before your first autumn frost.
Dashed line: typical first autumn frost in zone 7 (Nov 1). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow bok choy
- 1
Sow for autumn
Bok choy bolts in heat and long days, so the main sowing goes in 8–10 weeks before the first autumn frost. Sow 6 mm deep; a quick early-spring sowing also works.
- 2
Thin
Thin to 15–25 cm apart, or closer for baby bok choy.
- 3
Cover
Fleece or fine mesh keeps flea beetles off and improves quality.
- 4
Harvest
Cut whole heads before a flower stalk forms, 45–60 days after sowing, or pick outer leaves as you need them.
Growing conditions
Light
Partial sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
4–22 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
45–60 days
Ideal soil pH
5–8
How Tomatograph watches your bok choy
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for clubroot, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Bok Choy questions
- When should I plant bok choy?
- Sow outdoors 8–10 weeks before your first autumn frost.
- How long do bok choy seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 4–7 days at a soil temperature of 7–24 °C.
- How long until I can harvest bok choy?
- About 45–60 days after sowing, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant bok choy?
- Allow 15–30 cm between plants.
- What grows well with bok choy?
- Good neighbours include lettuce, spinach, carrot.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).