Bok choy is great news for gardeners who struggle to find enough sunny spots to plant all their veggies. While it grows well in full sunshine, bok choy will also grow well in partial sun, about 3-5 hours daily.

In hot climates, planting in a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade helps to delay bolting. Save those super-sunny sites for your tomatoes or sweet corn!

Fertile, rich soil and a neutral pH is ideal for these heavy feeders. Work a generous amount of compost into the soil before planting. Leave space for succession plantings to extend your harvest.

With its quick growing time and tolerance for light frosts, bok choy can be planted in your garden where earlier maturing crops are already finished.

When To Plant Bok Choy

Bok choy is not a fan of hot weather, so gardeners typically grow two crops, one in spring and another in fall. For spring plantings, start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date. Count backward 50 days from your first frost and direct seed for fall harvests.

If you garden in a frost-free or nearly frost-free zone, your bok choy growing season may be autumn through winter and into the spring until high temperatures arrive.

How To Plant Bok Choy

Bok choy is usually started from seed, but transplants can be bought in the spring at garden centers. Sow more every 2 weeks throughout spring and again in fall to achieve a long, continuous supply of these delicious plants.

To start bok choy indoors:

Sow 1-2 seeds per cell in standard trays or use soil blocks.
Sow seeds about a ¼-½ inch deep.
After germination, thin to one seedling per cell.
Snip the extras; don’t pull them, or you might damage the roots of the remaining plants.
Harden them off before transplanting them into the garden beds.
They can be transplanted outside once a set of true leaves has been established and soil temps outside are 50°F (10°C).

To direct seed after the last frost in spring or in late summer:

Prepare the bed with compost.
Sow seeds ½ inch deep, about 3 inches apart, in rows 18 inches apart.
Once plants are 4 inches tall, thin to a spacing of 6–9 inches apart, eat the ones you remove!

Pests and Problems

Bok Choy Pests and Diseases
Pest/Disease	Type	Symptoms	Control/Prevention
Anthracnose	Fungus	Yellow/brown/purple/black spots on leaves; sunken, dark spots on stems; spots may develop a salmon-pink, gelatinous mass; eventually, rot	Destroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; provide good drainage; avoid overhead watering; apply compost; use mulch; rotate crops
Aphids	Insect	Misshapen/yellow leaves; sticky “honeydew” (excrement); sooty, black mold	Grow companion plants; knock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; put banana or orange peels around plants; wipe leaves with a 1 to 2 percent solution of dish soap (no additives) and water every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Black rot	Fungus	Yellow, V-shape areas on leaf edges that brown and progress toward leaf center; leaves eventually collapse; stem cross sections reveal blackened veins	Destroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; provide good drainage; remove plant debris; rotate crops
Cabbage loopers	Insect	Large, ragged holes in leaves from larval feeding; defoliation; stunted or bored heads; excrement	Handpick; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; spray larvae with insecticidal soap or Bt; use row covers; remove plant debris
Cabbage root maggots	Insect	Wilted/stunted plants; off-color leaves; larvae feeding on roots	Use collars around seedling stems; monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; use row covers; destroy crop residue; till soil in fall; rotate crops
Cabbageworms	Insect	Leaves have large, ragged holes or are skeletonized; heads bored; dark green excrement; yellowish eggs laid singly on leaf undersides	Handpick; use row covers; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; grow companion plants (especially thyme); spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Clubroot	Fungus	Wilted/stunted plants; yellow leaves; roots appear swollen/distorted	Destroy infected plants; solarize soil; maintain soil pH of around 7.2; disinfect tools; rotate crops
Cutworms	Insect	Wilting; severed stems of seedlings and transplants just above or below soil line; whole seedlings disappear	Handpick; in spring before planting, cultivate soil to reduce larvae; wrap a 4-inch-wide collar made from cardboard or newspaper around each stem, sinking 2 inches into soil; weed; use row covers; destroy crop residue
Downy mildew	Fungus	Yellow, angular spots on upper leaf surfaces that turn brown; white/purple/gray cottony growth on leaf undersides only; distorted leaves; defoliation	Remove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; ensure good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Flea beetles	Insect	Numerous tiny holes in leaves	Use row covers; mulch heavily; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Powdery mildew	Fungus	Typically, white spots on upper leaf surfaces expand to flour-like coating over entire leaves; foliage may yellow/die; distortion/stunting of leaves	Destroy infected leaves or plants; choose resistant varieties; plant in full sun, if possible; ensure good air circulation; spray plants with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 quart water; destroy crop residue
Slugs/snails	Mollusk	Irregular holes in leaves; slimy secretion on plants/soil; seedlings “disappear”	Handpick; avoid thick bark mulch; use copper plant collars; avoid overhead watering; lay boards on soil in evening, and in morning dispose of “hiding” pests in hot, soapy water; drown in deep container filled with 1/2 inch of beer, or sugar water and yeast, and sunk so that top edge is slightly above ground; apply 1-inch-wide strip of food-grade diatomaceous earth as barrier
Stinkbugs	Insect	Yellow/white blotches on leaves; eggs, often keg-shape, in clusters on leaf undersides	Destroy crop residue; handpick (bugs emit odor, wear gloves); destroy eggs; spray nymphs with insecticidal soap; use row covers; weed; till soil in fall
Thrips	Insect	Leaves, especially in folds near base, have white patches or silver streaks; brown leaf tips; blistering/bronzing on cabbage leaves; curling or scarring	Remove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; use row covers; use straw mulch; monitor adults with yellow or white sticky traps; use sprinklers or other overhead watering
White mold	Fungus	Pale gray, “water-soaked” areas on stems, leaves, and other plant parts that enlarge and develop white, cottony growth, later with black particles; bleached areas; crowns rot; plants wilt/collapse	Destroy infected plants; ensure good air circulation; water in morning; weed; destroy crop residue; rotating crops on 5-year or longer cycle may help

Types

‘Mei Qing Choi’ is a hybrid that is tolerant of heat and slow to bolt.
‘Joi Choi’ is a beautiful, lush plant with vibrant green foliage and crisp white stems.
‘Win-Win Choi’ is a smaller variety, topping out about 12 inches tall. Great for baby bok choy or gardeners who don’t want a full-size plant.
‘Black Summer’ has dark green leaves and pale green stems. Slow to bolt and great for full-sized harvest.

Vegetables

About The Author

Andy Wilcox

Master Gardener and Gardening Contributor

Andy Wilcox is a freelance writer, flower farmer, and master gardener with over 25 years of experience in gardening, horticulture, and forestry. He is the co-owner of Stone’s Throw Flowers, a business...