Asian Greens
This category of vegetables is so much fun! Grow unique crops you will enjoy in stir fries, salads, side dishes, and soups. Break out from the "same ol stuff". Experiment with at least one new variety each year, and you'll expand your kitchen's repertoire.
Asian greens are actually Brassicas and thus part of the cabbage family. These are our favorites.
Bok Choy - Now commonly referred to as Pak Choi, this group forms loose-leaved heads in a wide variety of sizes and colors.
Mizuna - This mild japanese green is both ornamental and delicious. Young leaves are great in salads or harvest as a mature head. It's a real gourmet treat.
Characteristics
- Asian Greens are Cool Season crops which can be planted in early spring, and do exceptionally well when planted in late summer and fall for later harvests. They also do well in cool or solar greenhouses. Use GrowVeg.com to produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
- Direct seed for best results.
- Use season extenders
in early spring and late fall for the longest growing season.
Planting and Tending
- Direct-sow seed into the garden in early spring, summer and fall.
- Seed planting depth and spacing varies. Follow the seed packet instructions for best results. Keep soil evenly moist for the best germination results.
- Typically do not require fertilizer.
- Harvest the outer young leaves as desired by cutting 1 inch above the soil level. The Bok Choy/Pak Choi plants will re-grow. Cut heads of chinese cabbage higher in the fall for a crop of smaller heads later in the year.
Companion Planting
- Plant with low-growing flowers such as:
- Sweet alyssum
- Nasturtiums
- Marigolds
- Likes strong herbs, including:
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Do not plant near:
More Information
Visit the Vegtables Forum at GreatLakesGardeners.com to get answers to your growing vegetables questions. To ask a new question, Register if you haven't already done so(it's free and helps protect the forum from spam), click on Start New Topic, enter your question and click on Post New Topic.
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You may also appreciate these books on growing vegetable gardens.