Chinese Cabbage Growing Guide
Chinese cabbages, also known as Chinese leaves and napa cabbage, are fast-growing oriental brassicas. They produce mild and succulent leaves with a crisp texture, suitable for salads, steaming, or stir-frying. They can be grown as a cut-and-come-again salad crop or as full-headed cabbages. They are quick and easy to grow and are ideal for containers when grown as salad leaves.
This guidance applies to the crop in general. Individual varieties and local conditions can differ.
Planting information
Sow about 1 cm deep in modules from mid-spring, or outdoors from May to August, following the variety-specific calendar. Keep seedlings watered. For mature heads, thin or plant 30 cm apart in rows 40–45 cm apart; baby-leaf crops can be thinned to 15 cm. Harden off module-grown plants and transplant when about 10 cm tall with a good root system. Containers should be at least 30 cm wide and deep; thin to 25 cm for small heads.
Harvesting information
Chinese cabbages can be harvested as salad leaves from young plants (cut-and-come-again) in as little as 6 weeks after sowing. Take a few leaves from several plants, or all leaves from individual plants (they should re-sprout). Mature heads are ready to harvest after about ten weeks, from July to November. Cut the stem just under the lowest leaves with a knife, leaving a short stump which might produce more leaves or a smaller head. Some varieties may need binding with soft twine or raffia around the heads as they near maturity.
Storage information
Use Chinese cabbage fresh for the best texture. Store whole heads unwashed and untrimmed in the fridge for up to a week, and wash before use.