How to grow Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbages are fast-growing oriental brassicas. You can pick young leaves for salads, or wait for semi-mature or mature heads, which are mild and succulent with a crisp texture. They can be steamed, stir-fried or served raw in salads.

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Chinese cabbages usually form a dense, upright head with a sweet flavour and crisp mid-ribs

There are several varieties of Chinese cabbage available as seeds. 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. For the most reliable varieties, look for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in our trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg (135kB pdf) and our Recommended Varieties below.

For more inspiration, visit the veg plots in the RHS gardens, where you'll find an array of brassicas and other crops, so you can compare varieties and pick up growing tips.

Fork garden compost into the soil or spread it over the surface to retain moisture

When a vegetable plant starts flowering and forming seeds, often prematurely, making the crop unusable – salad leaves may turn bitter and root crops fail to swell. Adverse weather or changes in day length can cause bolting in a wide range of vegetables, including lettuces, onions , carrots and otheer root crops.

bolting

Alternatively, if you're practicing no-dig,

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

Apply lime if your soil has a

This describes how acid or alkaline soil is, and is expressed as a number between 0 and 14. Soil with a pH of 7 is neutral, an acid soil has a lower value, and an alkaline soil has a higher one. Most plants grow best in soil that’s within a specific pH range, so it’s useful to know your soil’s pH. Testing kits are easy to use and widely available in garden centres and online.

Seedlings from indoor sowings will be ready to transplant outdoors when they are about 10cm (4in) tall and have a good root system. Before planting, prepare the ground as outlined above, and harden off young plants to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions; this will help avoid a check in growth and subsequent bolting. Then plant them 15cm (6in) apart for harvesting as baby salad leaves, or 30cm (12in) apart for growing to maturity.

Looking after Chinese cabbages is straightforward –

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

Chinese cabbages can be harvested as salad leaves through summer and autumn, if sown regularly in small batches. They have a crisp texture and a mild refreshing flavour. Alternatively, the plants can be allowed to grow to maturity and form large cabbage heads, which are ready to harvest from July to November.

Salad leaves can be harvested on a cut-and-come-again basis from young plants in as little as 6 weeks after sowing. Either take a few leaves from several plants along the row or, if you allow the roots to get established, take all the leaves from individual plants – they should re-sprout a few times after cutting.

Plants should be ready to harvest as mature heads after about ten weeks. Most varieties form hearts well, but a few may need binding. If so, tie soft

Twine is a soft, fine loosely woven string treated with preservatives for outdoor use. Used for tying in climbers and other plants to supports.

Chinese cabbages are prone to

When a vegetable plant starts flowering and forming seeds, often prematurely, making the crop unusable – salad leaves may turn bitter and root crops fail to swell. Adverse weather or changes in day length can cause bolting in a wide range of vegetables, including lettuces, onions , carrots and otheer root crops.