Pak Choi Canton White – A Fast-growing Asian Green with Crisp White Stems

Pak Choi Canton White—also known as bok choy (Mandarin) or bak choi (Cantonese), both meaning “white vegetable” (白菜 / bai cai)—is a much-loved Asian green that’s become a staple in UK gardens too. It produces compact plants with smooth white stems and glossy green leaves, mild in flavour and wonderfully crisp. Quick to grow, it’s perfect for regular picking, giving you baby leaves in just a few weeks or full, chunky heads soon after. If left to flower, the yellow blooms will also draw in pollinators.

Growing Pak Choi Canton White

This variety thrives in fertile, moist but well-drained soil and will do well in full sun or partial shade. It prefers cooler conditions, so in the UK it’s best sown in spring or late summer to avoid bolting. Canton White is equally happy in beds or large pots, making it a flexible choice for all garden sizes.

Sowing and Planting

Sowing Period: April to September outdoors; earlier or later under cover.
Soil Preparation: Enrich the soil with compost or well-rotted manure and rake to a fine tilth.
Sowing Depth: 1 cm.
Spacing: 20 cm between plants, 30 cm between rows. For baby leaves, sow more thickly and thin as needed.
Germination: 7–14 days.

Care and Maintenance

Watering: Keep soil evenly moist—dry soil encourages bolting and tough stems.
Feeding: In beds, compost at sowing is usually enough. In pots, add a light liquid feed every 2–3 weeks.
Protection/Pests: Flea beetles, slugs and pigeons are the main threats. Mesh or fleece helps protect young plants, and steady watering reduces flea beetle damage.

Picking

Timing: Baby leaves are ready from 3–4 weeks; full heads in 6–8 weeks.
Method: Snip outer leaves for cut-and-come-again use, or cut whole plants just above the base.
Storage: Keep in a bag in the fridge; best eaten within a few days for crunch and flavour.

Culinary and Garden Uses

• 白菜 (bai cai / “white vegetable”) is a daily staple in Chinese kitchens, used in stir-fries, soups and dumplings.
• Mild enough for raw salads, yet full of crunch when lightly cooked.
• Quick-growing and compact, making it an ideal filler crop or container choice.

Allergy Information

Pak Choi Canton White is part of the mustard family. Both the seeds and leaves may not be suitable for those with mustard allergies.