Seed Sowing
Sow between February and April into modules under cover and plant outdoors. For an autumn/winter crop sow July to October. Direct sow in rows 15 cm apart, then thin seedlings to the final spacing.
Transplanting
Transplant your seedlings into their final growing position around May when the risk of frost has passed. Make sure to keep the area weed free and add plenty of organic matter before planting. Spacing varies depending on the stage you want to harvest: 8-10 cm for baby leaves, 20 cm for semi-mature, 25-30 cm for mature harvests.
Plant Care
Keep well watered; hot weather and dry conditions will encourage bolting. Early and late sowings can help avoid this issue. Mulch with straw to help retain water and prevent weed growth.
Challenges
Protect from slugs; avoid watering in the evening as this will encourage overnight slugs and snails. Plants may bolt in hot, dry conditions. If this happens, harvest the whole plant as it will become woody. Young flower spikes of pak choi, in particular, are quite delicious.
Harvest
Harvest time varies with the crop and your preference. Generally, baby leaves are ready in around 30 days, mature plants in 45-75 days. It’s beneficial to thin out some young tasty baby plants to make room for the rest to grow larger.
Culinary Ideas
Great for stir fries, colourful salads, Asian slaw, spring rolls, sushi, and many Asian recipes. Giant red mustard lends itself well to rolling and stuffing with sticky mirin rice.
Seed Saving
Asian greens belong to the species brassica rapa and will cross with all plants within it. If you want to save seed, ensure no other brassicas of this species are allowed to flower. Asian greens for seed are best grown in a block of at least twelve plants. Choose plants that are true to type, healthy and have shown disease resistance. Avoid early bolters.
Allow plants to flower and produce seed pods that will begin to dry. Cut the whole plant when seeds start turning black and mature further on a sheet indoors before they shatter. When fully dry, the seeds will fall out of the heads very easily. You can stand and stomp on the plants to break up the pods, then sieve out the debris.
Most popular Asian Greens
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Asian Greens – Pak Choi (Organic)
£1.68 – £3.80 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageAsian Greens – Pak Choi (Organic)
An heirloom pak choi variety with juicy fat white stalks and dark green spoon shaped leaves. Also known as ‘Boo Toy’, ‘Horse’s Ear’, ‘Japanese Celery’, Pak Choi looks like a squat fat celery with dark green spoon shaped leaves. You can eat all of the plant above ground and it’s delicious with sesame oil, chilli and steamed rice. It grows well in cooler conditions and can be used as cut and come again or as a more mature plant later in the year. Any ideas as to why it’s called Horses Ear, we’d love to hear!
£1.68 – £3.80 -
Asian Greens – Mizuna – “Beni Houshi” (Organic)
£1.90 Read moreAsian Greens – Mizuna – “Beni Houshi” (Organic)
A striking variety of mizuna with lime green leaves and purple stems. This beautiful new mizuna variety is apparently taking the Japanese foody-scene by storm! It’s similar in taste to green mizuna and is delicious raw in salads or cooked in stir-fries.
With its contrasting colour scheme it’s a real head-turner and is certain to impress.
(Approximate seed count – 180)
£1.90 -
Asian Greens – Purple Frills (Organic)
£1.88 – £3.80 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageAsian Greens – Purple Frills (Organic)
An abundant, colourful, delicate variety of mustard which gets punchier as the season continues. Purple Frills has beautiful burgundy tinged, spidery leaves. It adds interest to any salad with its hot mustardy flavour. It can also be cooked and used a spicy spinach alternative. It is abundant in its growth and will continue throughout the coldest weather.
(Approximate seed count – 250)£1.88 – £3.80 -
Asian Greens – Tatsoi (Organic)
£1.68 – £3.50 Add to basket This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageAsian Greens – Tatsoi (Organic)
A fast growing variety producing an abundance of flavoursome dark glossy round leaves. Tat Soi produces leaves with a mild mustard flavour and a crunchy texture that can be used raw as a delicious addition to a salad or cooked in a variety of ways. It is a fast growing variety that can be cut at any stage. If the baby leaves are left to mature they become a stunning rosette of broad round greens with a wide, crisp and juicy central stem.
(Approximate seed count – 300)£1.68 – £3.50
