Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis.
One of the oldest leafy vegetables in Chinese cooking, cultivated without interruption for more than 1,500 years, and one of the most versatile you can slip into the Québec vegetable garden. Despite its French name of "cabbage," pak choi isn't botanically a European cabbage — it's a cousin of the turnip (Brassica rapa), a different species, which explains its tenderness, mildness, speed of growth and almost sweet bite. The "baby" version is harvested younger, at 15 to 20 cm tall, when the petioles are still tender and the whole rosette fits in one hand.
Spoon-shaped silhouette, broad ivory-white petioles (sometimes pale green depending on the selection), crunchy and juicy, set with fanned glossy dark green leaves. Fresh, mild, lightly mineral flavour, without bitterness. Indispensable to a quick stir-fry with garlic, ginger and soy sauce, slipped whole into a dashi broth or a pho soup, included in a family hot pot, sliced raw in an Asian salad, or simply halved lengthwise and pan-grilled with a little sesame oil. The speed of the cycle is its master asset — you can sow, harvest and resow several times in a single season, which makes it one of the most generous vegetables for small spaces or impatient gardeners.
Grower's tip: Pak choi hates heat. Above 24 °C, combined with the long days of June and July, it bolts in a few days — turning into a yellow flower stalk before even forming its rosette properly. To avoid this, concentrate sowings at the two ends of the season: early April to mid-May for the spring harvest, then mid-August to mid-September for the fall harvest (often the most tender and sweetest). For the baby version, sow more densely, harvest the whole rosette with a knife at ground level, and resow immediately. No need to transplant — direct-sowing works better and avoids the stress that can trigger bolting.
- Open-pollinated. Biennial, treated as an annual. Insect-pollinated; crosses with other Brassica rapa (turnips, napa cabbage, other pak choi) — isolate for seed saving.
- Height: 15 to 20 cm for the baby version, up to 30 cm if left to full maturity.
- Maturity: 30 to 45 days for the baby harvest, 45 to 60 days for the full head.
- Exposure: full sun in spring and fall; part shade mandatory for summer sowings.
- Rich, fresh, well-drained, neutral soil. Space 5-10 cm apart for the baby harvest, 20-25 cm for full maturity.
- Direct-sow early April to mid-May, then mid-August to mid-September. Tolerates light fall frosts, which even make the leaves sweeter.
