How to Grow Tatsois
On this page
Tatsoi is an exceptionally cold-hardy Asian green, tolerating temperatures down to -10°C — a light frost once the rosette is mature is even said to improve its flavor, though cold snaps while seedlings are still young can trigger premature bolting.
The short answer
- Site
- soil pH 5.5–6.8
- Biggest risk
- White blister
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Tatsoi (Brassica rapa var. rosularis)
3 sources cited · Verified
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 5.5 - 6.8 |
| Soil texture | chalk, clay, loam or sand, deep and fertile but firm (RHS) |
| Drainage | well-drained |
| Lifecycle | annual or biennial grown as an annual |
| Edible parts | leaves |
| Documented problems | 3 diseases, 4 pests |
At a Glance
Diseases
Pests
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: regular watering during summer months essential (RHS)
Soil pH range
Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | 0 | Sow outdoors, seeds 2in apart barely covered with soil, or start in modules; germinates in 4-8 days at 50-80°F. Sow in spring and again in late summer for a fall harvest (GrowVeg). |
| Thinning/transplanting | 3 | Thin gradually to 8in apart, or transplant module-raised seedlings once they have 5-6 leaves (RHS, GrowVeg). |
| Rosette formation | 4 | Flat, tight rosette of spoon-shaped, glossy dark green leaves develops; regular watering essential in summer (RHS). |
| Harvest | 8 | Harvestable in 45-50 days; cool weather and a light frost once mature improve flavour, while cold exposure when young risks early bolting (GrowVeg). |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Reaches harvestable size in 45-50 days (GrowVeg). Whole rosette can be cut, or individual outer leaves picked while the plant regrows. A light frost once mature is said to improve flavour.
Tatsoi, Rosette to Market
Plan your Tatsois planting
Timing for Tatsois follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Tatsoi in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
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A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used only for germination timing/temperature and cold-tolerance detail RHS's page does not cover, not contradicted by it. Sow in spring and again in late summer for a fall harvest. Plant seeds 2in (5cm) apart, barely covered with soil, thinning gradually to 8in (20cm) apart. Germinates in 4-8 days at 50-80°F. Tolerates light frost, but cold exposure in spring can trigger early bolting; light frost in autumn is said to improve flavour. Reaches harvestable size in 45-50 days and can withstand temperatures down to -10°C (15°F).
-
Mirrors FAO Ecocrop. Fetched and parsed directly for the numeric soil pH range.
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (GrowVeg, Royal Horticultural Society, Useful Temperate Plants) is in the references of our UK guide to tatsoi; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What soil pH does tatsoi need?
A pH of about 5.5–6.8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect tatsoi?
Our data links 3 diseases and 4 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
Get the Global Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Works in either hemisphere
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-08-29
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Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.