Pak Choi has been conquering our home gardens for quite some time. No wonder, as it's delicious and easy to grow.
Are you someone who likes to try something new every now and then? Especially when it comes to fruit or vegetables, the market has a lot to offer. We often do not know plants that are not native to us, or only know them from going to the weekly market. This also includes Pak Choi, the Asian mustard cabbage. Sounds interesting doesn't it? If you fancy trying this cabbage, feel free to give it a try. It's not that difficult to grow.
Facts about pak choi
The Asian cabbage does credit to the Chinese cabbage. It is significantly milder, but still spicy. However, Pak Choi only tastes mildly of cabbage. At first you might find the taste a bit hard to get used to, but soon you won't want to be without it. The stems are crisp and the leaves are very tender. It can be prepared like spinach, i.e. steamed. The mustard cabbage is also good in wok dishes and casseroles.
The great thing: you can enjoy pak choi without regrets. After all, vegetables are full of he althy nutrients. It contains, for example, plenty of potassium, calcium, vitamins A and vitamin C. With around 20 kcal per 100 g, mustard cabbage is a real lightweight among vegetables.
The vegetable, which originated in Asia, is still mainly grown in China, Japan and Korea. But also with us it is cultivated more and more frequently. Just try it out and convince yourself of the wonderfully aromatic taste.
How to grow pak choi yourself
Location:
As you can probably guess, the mustard cabbage likes it a little warmer. It therefore prefers a sunny to semi-shady location in medium-heavy, humus-rich soil. On top of that, the location must be sheltered from the wind.
Cultivation time:
If you want to sow the Pak Choi directly in the garden, then you should wait until the end of June or the beginning of July. On the other hand, if you want to prefer it, you can start in early spring and then plant it out in April. However, we advise against it, as early Pak Choi for shooting - i.e. for premature flowering -tends. So plant it directly in the garden in summer.
Extension:
When sowing directly, the Pak Choi is sown in rows with a spacing of at least 20 centimeters - rather a little more, because the plant becomes very sprawling. The sowing depth should be about 2 centimeters.
If you want to grow the mustard cabbage in early spring, you must sow it in small pots. From April you can then plant it in the garden. Make sure, however, that you convert the entire root ball. A row spacing of 25 centimeters and a spacing of 20 centimeters in the row are optimal.
Fertilize and water:
Because the mustard cabbage grows quite quickly, it also needs a lot of nutrients. It is therefore best to work compost that is already ripe into the soil in spring.
Pak choi loves water and needs to be watered regularly or it will quickly droop.
Harvest:
You can harvest the Pak Choi as soon as the size of the plant suits you. You can therefore harvest slightly younger vegetables or larger plants. At first, only ever harvest every other plant. This gives the others even more space to develop. At the latest when temperatures are approaching 0 degrees, you have to get the pak choi out of the bed completely.
How to keep pak choi fresh for longer
Pak Choi does not keep very long after harvest. It is best to prepare it on the same day or the following day. If you would like to have some of the vegetables longer, then simply leave them on the bed or harvest the mustard cabbage with the roots. Then wrap it in damp sand in the cellar and it will stay fresh for a few weeks. We do not recommend freezing the vegetables, as this will only make them mushy.