Forum home Plants

Chinese cabbage

B3B3 Posts: 25,246
Do they really only take two months to grow?


In London. Keen but lazy.

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 25,246
    Were you able to eat them anyway?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,652
    edited February 2020
    They always bolt for me so I've given up but yes, I think you need to grow them very fast to stand a chance. Think of them as lettuce and you'll be in the right ball park
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,246
    Ok. They contain a lot of water so i suppose keeping them them well watered will be an issue too. I think I'll try a few in a container.
    Thanks for advice  chaps 😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Sow them after midsummer when the days are getting shorter ... then they won’t bolt. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • B3B3 Posts: 25,246
    Right O 😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,652
    Sow them after midsummer when the days are getting shorter ... then they won’t bolt. 
    Nope - still bolted. I think they need more water than I can provide. When water is provided without my interference (as it was this autumn), there's not enough light, so they bolt anyway. I've tried them 3 years with different timing and different conditions with the same result.

    Note: I can't grow lettuce most of the time either. It's me, not the Chinese cabbage. So don't let my failure put you off   :smile:
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • @raisingirl Try growing as 'baby leaves' or 'cut and come again' which, as long as you keep cutting, should be less likely to bolt especially if planted after midsummer.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,246
    I like that idea @BobTheGardener. I only use a few leaves at a time anyway.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
Sign In or Register to comment.