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When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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Posted by mark4321 9b, Sunset 15 (My Page) on Fri, Aug 1, 08 at 17:16
| I had trouble with bok choy bolting over the spring even under mild conditions--the weather started out cool and gradually warmed--nothing at all dramatic. From the reading I did here and elsewhere, the conclusion I remember is that bok choy is much easier as a fall than a spring crop. Presumably changes in day length and not just temperature are factors. In the absence of chasing down a bolt resistant strain (how useful are those?), I decided I would just plant in the fall. I have the standard full size bok choy from Kitazawa seeds.
I'm curious about when to plant seeds. I'm in the San Franicisco Bay Area. I'm hoping to find times when the plants will both grow at a reasonable rate and not go to seed.
However, since my experience would be meaningless to someone in Houston, and both of ours is not terribly relevant to someone in Minnesota, I was curious if people could give what part of the country they live in and when they have successfully (or unsuccessfully) planted bok choy in the fall. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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| I found this on a site......does it help you figure out when in your area? I think the photoperiod info is the most useful. Climatic requirements. Average temperatures of 55°-70° F (13-21° C) are favorable. Temperatures above 75° F (24° C) may cause some burning of the tips and prolonged temperatures below 55° F (13° C) can cause premature bolting. Bok choy is also very sensitive to photoperiods for flowering. Long days (16 hour days for a month) induce flowering in some cultivars. Short days and warm temperatures keep the plant in the vegetative phase. I'll give you some info about what happened with mine this year. First of all I planted a baby bok choy because somewhere I found info that it took heat better. Next we had a strange spring and I didn't get it into the ground until late April......that means the days are pretty long and warm here. It grew fast and didn't bolt....I think it's because it never got under 55 degrees the whole time and it got confused about not having a cool period. Sorry I haven't really given you any local info but it might help you figure out how it gets the signal to bolt. Good luck.....I'll be trying some this fall so maybe next year we can trade results. |
RE: When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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| I'm three hours north of SF, on the Mendo coast. I've had very good success starting bok choy in September, set out in early October. They size up just as the weather turns cool and then stand there until the wind knocks them over in January, or I eat them, whichever happens first. Michilhi-type Chinese cabbage on the same schedule does even better - it will actually continue to grow all winter long. |
RE: When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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| I have found that variety does make a difference in bolt resistance of various crops, despite my initial skepticism. The problem is finding the truly bolt resistant varieties, because the claims for bolt resistance of many varieties are exaggerated. The lettuce Nevada, for instance, actually will hold in the garden for several weeks without bolting, unlike many supposedly bolt resistant lettuces. This year, a spring planting of Mei Qing Choi, a Shanghai type bok choy, performed very well here on Cape Cod. It was flavorful, held well in the garden without bolting and was good at various stages of growth. Toy Choy, a really tiny baby bok choy, was very good as a fall crop last year. Jim |
RE: When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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| Bok Choy is in the cabbage family. So basically just follow a southern California vegetable planting calendar. Cabbages may be sown in the months of October thru February. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Southern California vegetable planting calendar
RE: When do you plant bok choy for Fall in your area?
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| Qoute: "I had trouble with bok choy bolting over the spring even under mild conditions--the weather started out cool and gradually warmed--nothing at all dramatic. From the reading I did here and elsewhere, the conclusion I remember is that bok choy is much easier as a fall than a spring crop. Presumably changes in day length and not just temperature are factors. In the absence of chasing down a bolt resistant strain (how useful are those?), I decided I would just plant in the fall. I have the standard full size bok choy from Kitazawa seeds. I'm curious about when to plant seeds. I'm in the San Franicisco Bay Area. I'm hoping to find times when the plants will both grow at a reasonable rate and not go to seed. " Not sure were you are in the Bay Area but if zone 15 (sunset) I would guess that you might have your best luck from May thru Nov. I would worry more about cold bolting more than heat bolting, since there are some truly heat tolerant varieties available now. You might have to experiment a bit if you are in a unique micro-climate. You might try going to the local farmers markets and talk to the growers. Both Evergreen seeds and Kitazawa have some great varieties. Read their descriptions carefully about climate. I've been growing bok choy in my zone 23-24 garden for 30+ years. For many of those years I was only able to find seed for a few "standard" types and only grew them in the cool season (Oct-May) a season not unlike San Francisco's summer except for day length. But now there are like 20+ types available, and I usually have something growing all year. My point being try some in the summer. Jim/San Diego |
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