RHS Growing Guides
How to grow Chinese cabbage
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Chinese Cabbage.
Getting Started
Chinese cabbages, also known as Chinese leaves, are quick and easy to grow as a cut and come again salad crop from spring to autumn. They can also be grown as full-headed cabbages during late summer when the days are long and nights are warm. When grown at other times, plants are prone to
Chinese cabbage Wa Wa Sai
You can grow Chinese cabbages as salad leaves in the ground or in containers, where they need little space, and as semi-mature or mature cabbages in the ground, at a wider spacing to allow heads to form. The heads are usually tall and cylindrical, like dense upright lettuces, but can be barrel shaped or looser leaved, depending on the variety.
Chinese cabbages have a sweet, mild flavour and can be eaten raw or lightly steamed, stir-fried or sautéed.
As a member of the brassica family, Chinese cabbage can be affected by the same pests and diseases as traditional brassicas, and should be included in crop rotations with its cabbage relatives.
Other oriental brassicas that are grown in a similar way include pak choi, Chinese broccoli, mizuna and mibuna. They all do particularly well from late summer onwards.
Month by Month
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Choosing
There are several varieties of Chinese cabbages available as seeds, for harvesting young as salad leaves or as semi-mature or mature heads. They come in various shapes and sizes, but most resemble tall lettuces, with large crisp green or purple-tinted leaves and broad white mid-ribs.
Some are less prone to brassica diseases, and it’s best to choose bolt-resistant varieties if growing to maturity.
A wide range of vegetables are grown in all the RHS gardens, so do visit them for more veg-growing inspiration.
What and where to buy
Chinese cabbage seeds are usually available from larger gardening retailers.
Recommended Varieties
Smooth, crisp multipurpose variety, with good tip burn and bolting resistance.Use raw in salds or cooked in stir...
Compact variety for close planting in small veg plots or rised beds. Plant 30cm/12inch apart. Matures 55/60 days from sowing.
Newish baby chinese cabbage, grown as close as 20/30 cm ( 8to 12 inches ) apart. Spring or Autumn sowing. Matures in 60 days.
Preparing the Ground
Chinese cabbages need deep, rich, moisture-retentive soil in an open sunny site, although some shade in summer helps to deter bolting.
Prepare the growing site by weeding thoroughly, then add several bucketfuls of well-rotted manure or garden compost per square metre/yard, to help hold moisture in the soil. Firm the soil gently and rake finely, removing any large stones. Apply lime to acidic soil to deter clubroot – a fungal disease to which this crop is very susceptible.
You can also grow Chinese cabbages in large containers, to harvest as baby leaves or small semi-mature heads. Containers should be at least 30cm (1ft) wide and deep – anything smaller will tend to dry out too rapidly for this moisture-loving crop. Fill with multi-purpose or soil-based compost. Be prepared to water plants in containers frequently.
Growing in containers is useful if clubroot is present in your soil, to keep plants free of this disease.
Sowing
Sowing indoors
Sow seeds indoors in modules from mid-spring onwards. Plant out in mid-summer or later after hardening off thoroughly to avoid a check in growth, which can cause bolting.
Sowing outdoors
Sow outdoors from May or June to August. Prepare the ground or containers as detailed above.
Scatter the seeds thinly along drills 1cm (½in) deep and space rows 38cm (15in) apart. Seeds should germinate within a week, and seedlings should grow quickly.
For continuous harvests, sow small batches every three weeks or so – see our guide to successional sowing.
Gradually thin out the seedlings to 15cm (7in) apart for baby salad leaves and 30cm (12in) apart for large heads. Use the thinnings in salads.
Plant Care
Chinese cabbages need little maintenance, apart from regular watering in dry spells, especially if growing in containers.
Watering
Water seedlings and young plants regularly, and continue watering frequently to keep the soil or potting compost consistently moist. This helps to ensure good growth and deter early flowering.
Water early in the morning if possible, so plants are well set up for the day and can grow steadily. Avoid watering in the evening, as damp soil overnight can attract slugs and snails and fungal diseases.
Mulching
Spread a mulch of garden compost over the soil around your cabbage plants to help to hold in moisture and deter weed germination.
Weeding
Weed regularly, so young plants don’t have to compete for moisture or light, which can hinder growth. Weeds can also provide hiding places for pests, such as snails.
Flowering
Chinese cabbages are prone to bolting (flowering prematurely), especially in hot, dry weather. So in summer, choose bolt-resistant varieties and keep plants well watered and shaded from midday sun.
If plants do send up flower stems, remove them before the buds open and cook lightly. Harvest the rest of the plant straight away too, before it deteriorates. Other plants from the same sowing are also likely to flower soon, so harvest them promptly.
Protecting crops
Cover plants being grown for heads with insect-proof mesh or fleece in summer to protect from cabbage caterpillars and use collars to deter cabbage root fly. This shouldn’t be necessary for shorter-term salad crops.
From early autumn onwards, protect maturing plants with cloches to stop moisture from rotting the heart.
Harvesting
Chinese cabbages can be harvested as salad leaves from late spring to the first frosts of autumn, or allowed to grow to maturity and form large cabbage heads from late summer to early autumn.
You can harvest cut and come again leaves from young or semi-mature plants, after a month or more. They have a crisp texture and mild refreshing flavour. If you allow the root to get established, then leaves will re-sprout several times after cutting, before the plant eventually bolts (starts flowering). When this happens, harvest the flowerheads before the buds open and cook like broccoli.
Cabbages should be ready to harvest as semi-mature heads after about five weeks or mature heads after eight to ten weeks. They usually resemble upright lettuces, with crisp pale green or red-tinted leaves that have a bold white mid-rib. Most varieties form hearts well, but a few may need binding. If so, tie soft twine or raffia around the heads when they reach maturity.
When harvesting cabbage heads, cut the stem just under the lowest leaves with a knife, leaving a short stump in the ground. This should produce another smaller head or cut and come again leaves.
Semi-mature or mature heads can simply be sliced then stir-fried, steamed or sautéed, and used in a wide range of oriental dishes and soups, or in a similar way to traditional cabbage.
Chinese cabbages are best eaten freshly harvested, for maximum flavour and sweetness, and a crisp succulent texture. But if necessary they can be stored in a fridge or cool frost-free shed for a week or more.
Problems
Chinese cabbage is prone to bolting (flowering prematurely) in unfavourable growing conditions – either too cold in spring or too hot and dry in summer.
Slugs and snails like to eat tender young leaves, and pigeons may also peck the leaves.
Being a member of the cabbage or brassica family, Chinese cabbages are susceptible to brassica diseases such as clubroot, especially on acidic soil, as well as brassica pests such as cabbage root fly and cabbage caterpillars, so cover crops with insect-proof mesh. However, when growing speedy young salad leaves these are rarely a problem.
Flea beetles make tiny holes in the leaves, but the damage is only cosmetic. A covering of fleece should prevent this.
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