Pak Choi also known as Paksoi originates from China. It is an easy-to-grow and fast-growing Chinese cabbage variety. The heads are about 25 cm long and have soft, loose, spoon-shaped, dark green leaves with thick, white veins. Both leaves and stems and veins are edible.
Pak Choi is a very healthy and versatile vegetable. Pak choi contains vitamins A, B5,B6, B11, C and K. And the minerals calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium. Pak choi also contains many antioxidants and phytonutrients and like most vegetables very few calories. Pak Choi is also a very versatile vegetable. You can boil, stir-fry, steam, bake, grill, cook in the oven, add to soups and stews and also use raw in salads. Pak Choi has a deliciously crisp and mild flavour and is ideally suited for use in Chinese dishes and stir-fries. This cabbage can also be eaten as a regular vegetable after being boiled or steamed for a short while. The stems, however, take a little longer to prepare than the leaves. Pak Choi is delicious in combination with: beef, pork, chicken, minced meat, rice, noodles, noodles, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, peppers, tuna, salmon, shrimp, ginger, garlic and various nuts. Also, the taste of Pak Choi combines well with other vegetables such as: peppers, endives, spinach, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers, radishes, asparagus and lettuce.
Pak Choi can be kept in the refrigerator for about three days to a week. If the Pak Choi is cut, it can only be kept in the refrigerator for one day. Harvest the very young leaves as a delicious and vitamin-rich alternative to lettuce. This cabbage can withstand the cold and lower temperatures and continues to grow for a long time. It can be harvested around 6 to 8 weeks after sowing. Semi-hardy annual.
Outdoor sowing: early March - October
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.
