Pak Choi also known as Paksoi is native to China. It is an easy-to-grow and fast-growing Chinese cabbage variety. The heads grow about 15 - 20 cm high and have soft, loose spoon-shaped, light green leaves with thick, white veins and it forms a loose cabbage. Both leaves and stems and veins are edible. Pak Choi Canton Dwarf White is a compact growing Pak Choi variety. This Chinese cabbage can withstand cold very well. It can be harvested young or fully grown. This makes this cabbage very versatile. Like the regular Pak Choi, this cabbage can be used in wok dishes. This Chinese cabbage is very easy to grow. Place this variety in semi-shade and keep well moist. This cabbage can be sown late in the year (from September to December). Do give the cabbage some protection by means of a cloche or fleece. Pak Choi Canton White Dwarf has light green leaves with white stems and veins. The leaves are deliciously tender and can also easily be eaten finely chopped raw or added to salads, soups, stews, wok dishes and other recipes.
Pak Choi is a very healthy vegetable that contains many vitamins and minerals including Vitamin: A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B11, B12, C, D, E and K. And the minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, sodium, selenium and zinc . And dietary fibre, carbohydrates and low calories. Pak Choi is very versatile and can be boiled, stir-fried, baked, grilled, stewed, oven-prepared, steamed and prepared raw as a raw vegetable or salad. Pak Choi tastes delicious with: beef, pork, chicken, minced meat, noodles, noodles, noodles, rice, pasta, salmon, tuna, prawns, mango, coconut, tofu, tempeh, cheese, eggs, milk, cream, goat cheese, ginger, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts. And other vegetables such as: leeks, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, courgette, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, white cabbage, celeriac, beetroot, green beans, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots. Can be harvested as early as 40 days after sowing. Hardy annual. Height: 15 - 20 cm.
Outdoor sowing: early March - August & September - December
Germination: 7 - 14 days
Germination temp.: 10 - 22 °C
Sowing depth: ½ cm
Planting distance: 30 - 45 cm
Planting position: sunny
Harvest period: half May - half December
This fairly hardy vegetable can be sown from early March on, when the soil can be worked. Sow in rows approx. 60 - 76 cm apart. Sow thin and shallow and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil (½ cm). Keep moist and weedfree. The seeds germinate in 7 - 14 days, depending on soil conditions, temperature and the weather. Water enough during dry spells. Don't let the roots lay bare, because this can cause early bolting. Sow small amounts of seeds every 2 - 3 weeks to prolong the harvest.
Add extra lime to the soil because these cabbage variety is prone to clubroot and extra lime will improve the pH in the soil and can prevent this disease. Because pak choi is a very fast growing vegetable it needs loose soil with a very good drainage. Clay soil isn't well suited for growing this type of cabbage. Give regularly water round the base of the plant, not on the leaves. Don't let the soil dry out. Protect the seedlings against snails and slugs. Give a liquid feed, about 3 - 4 weeks before the heads start to form. You can harvest in about 6 or 8 weeks after sowing. Start with harvesting a few leaves when needed or harvest a whole head.
