How to Grow Pak Choi UK

When to Plant Pak Choi in the UK

When to plant pak choi in the UK: in Southern England, sow early March to mid August. Find your area in the table below.

Region	Sow
Southern England	early March to mid August
Midlands	early March to mid August
Northern England	early March to mid August
Scotland	early March to mid August

Southern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow indoors from spring, or outdoors from late spring once frost risk has passed, through midsummer, avoiding hot dry conditions which trigger bolting; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and the crop grows best in the cooler bookend seasons regardless of region.

Midlands - detail & sources

RHS: sow indoors from spring, or outdoors from late spring once frost risk has passed, through midsummer, avoiding hot dry conditions which trigger bolting; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and the crop grows best in the cooler bookend seasons regardless of region.

Northern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow indoors from spring, or outdoors from late spring once frost risk has passed, through midsummer, avoiding hot dry conditions which trigger bolting; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and the crop grows best in the cooler bookend seasons regardless of region.

Scotland - detail & sources

RHS: sow indoors from spring, or outdoors from late spring once frost risk has passed, through midsummer, avoiding hot dry conditions which trigger bolting; a single window is applied uniformly across all four sub-regions since the source gives no UK-region-specific gradient, and the crop grows best in the cooler bookend seasons regardless of region.

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	6 - 6.4
Optimal growing temp	20-25°C
Minimum growing temp	10°C
Time to harvest	28-70 days
Drainage	Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; fertile soil, cool damp conditions preferred
Lifecycle	annual/biennial, grown as annual
Edible parts	leaves, petioles

At a Glance

Soil & Growing Conditions

Soil pH range

6 6.4

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing and germination	0	Sow thinly about 2cm deep, in rows at least 30cm apart, indoors from spring or outdoors from late spring once frost risk has passed; germinates in around a week (RHS).
Seedling thinning	1	Thin to 8-10cm apart for a baby-leaf crop, 20cm for semi-mature plants, or 25-30cm for full-sized heads (RHS).
Baby-leaf harvest window	3	Baby leaves are ready to harvest in as little as 30 days from sowing; keep consistently moist to help avoid bolting (RHS).
Semi-mature to full-sized maturity	5	Semi-mature or full-sized heads take 45-75 days from sowing; harvest promptly once flowering begins to avoid bitterness (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Cut-and-come-again baby leaves from 4 weeks; semi-mature to full-sized heads take 8-10 weeks; bolts (flowers prematurely) in hot summer conditions

Diseases

Brassica downy mildew

Hyaloperonospora brassicae (syn. Peronospora parasitica)

White blister

Albugo candida

Club root

Plasmodiophora brassicae

Pests

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)

Delia radicum

Cabbage caterpillars

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Mealy cabbage aphid

Brevicoryne brassicae

Storing Pak Choi

Pak choi is not a crop for long storage. Keep it unwashed, wrapped loosely in a plastic bag or paper towels, in the fridge salad drawer, and use it within about five days.

Sources: Purdue Extension FoodLink, Bok choy; University of Florida IFAS Extension, Bok Choy (HS1337); University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, Try Bok Choy for a Different Vegetable.

Pak Choi, a Fast-Growing Chinese Cabbage

A cool-season leafy crop

Pak choi grows best in mild, damp weather in a bed of well-fed soil, forming rosettes of crisp leaves and stems.

Quick from seed

Sown thinly in rows, seedlings germinate in about a week and grow quickly into productive rows.

Broad, glossy rosettes

Mature plants form broad rosettes of dark green, glossy leaves over crisp white or pale green stems.

Crisp white stems

Harvested plants show off the thick, crisp stems that give pak choi its distinctive crunch.

A market favourite

Bunched and sold fresh, pak choi is a popular market vegetable across East and Southeast Asia.

References

1. Clemson Cooperative Extension - Chinese Vegetables (HGIC)
2. FAO EcoCrop - Brassica rapa Pak Choi data sheet
3. NC State Extension - Pak Choi

   Native to China, specifically the Yangtze River Delta region; cultivation recorded as far back as the 5th century AD, widely grown in southern and central China and Taiwan.

4. Royal Horticultural Society - Brassica rapa Chinensis Group | Chinese cabbage
5. Royal Horticultural Society - Cabbage caterpillars
6. Royal Horticultural Society - Cabbage root fly
7. Royal Horticultural Society - Club root
8. Royal Horticultural Society - Flea Beetles on Brassicas and Allied Plants
9. Royal Horticultural Society - How to grow Pak Choi | RHS Guide
10. Royal Horticultural Society - Slugs and Snails

    RHS explicitly advises against slug pellets (even organic) due to wildlife harm, and cites RHS's own controlled trial finding no damage reduction from physical barriers (copper tape, bark mulch, eggshell, grit, wool) -- while also noting some other studies have shown copper barriers to repel slugs, a preserved disagreement rather than a silently resolved one. Details Nemaslug (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) biological control including application temperature range and its lack of effect on snails specifically.

11. Royal Horticultural Society - White Blister: Causes & Treatment
12. University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) - Downy Mildew / Cole Crops / UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines

12 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.