[rowlandwells]

we  where watching gardeners world on Friday as you do and noted  monty was planting pak choi they looked quite good plants for planting out in his razed beds

I've never seemed to do any good with pak choi but maybe I'm sowing the seed to early because he must have  sowed his seed about a month ago?

and it seemed like pak choi lasted all winter? from what he said
so how do we get good pak choi and when's the best time to sow the seed I can't remember if he mentioned the variety grown

[solway cropper]

I've been trying to grow pak choi for years and it always seems to bolt. I've sowed direct, from modules and at various times of year and always with the same result...failure. This year I've harvested some lovely fat plants to go in salads and stir fries but don't ask me how I've done it. Seems to me to be another one of those plants that decides for itself whether to grow or not, regardless of what we gardeners might do 

[New shoot]

Sunshineband is off on her travels for a few days, but she had some great pak choi this summer growing in a deep tray on her plot.  It was in partial shade under the roofed area by her shed and was kept well watered.

I think the slightest upset in heat or going dry at the roots sends it to seed, but Sunny's method really did work well.  I know, I sat there gazing at it with envious eyes, being a pretty poor pak choi grower myself 

I think she has plans to put more in her poly tunnel over the winter, but you will have to wait for confirmation on that 

[Paul Plots]

I grew pak choi years ago - found it easy but that was a result of luck and chance.

I grew from seed in modules then planted out along side my shed which was in partial shade for part of the day. I guess the weather must have been right for it as the plants were large, upright and healthy.

Why I only tried it the once I can't remember - probably lack of space and I'd used up all the free seeds I had been given by a friend.

Best of luck with it. If you get the growing conditions right (not too dry or too damp) it is a nice crop.

[LosPollosHermanos]

Pak Choi is one of my secret weapons against slugs. I'm pretty sure they'll come from miles away to eat them.  I've often used them as a sacrificial crop to deflect attention away from something else. as my local slugs prefer them to anything else.

They seem to be incredibly sensitive to day length. My experience is that they go straight to flower if they ever get stressed out and if you start them off in modules and forget about them for a bit they never seem to grow very well, but if you manage to get them out and into the ground at just the right time they can be amazing. I've had good success growing them around now and through the winter under a bit of cover or in the polytunnel. I've never had any joy in early spring as they just seem to go to flower like a lot of the Asian brassicas.  They can be great winter crops though as the Chinese / Japanese winters can be a lot harder than ours. I sow batch after batch until the first frosts  as the earlies grow really fast while its still a bit warm and later they just seem like they're in stasis and then go mental once it warms up in the spring, of course they flower pretty quickly then but those are delicious too and I like to let a few go over to give the early insects a good feed.

[compostqueen]

I love the stuff! I see it as a cold weather crop so hold off sowing it too soon

[AnneB]

Mine have grown really well this year, but they always seem to be prone to flea beetle for me, so come with added holes.

[rowlandwells]

so compostqueen tell me more when would you suggest sowing the seed and what variety have you been growing because it seems like you've cracked it pak choi and all

[compostqueen]

Canton Dwarf end of August.   I checked back on last year when I sowed them on 28th and commented on them looking good in February (on my link a bord raised bed)  and that they were eaten by 18 th March

I had the best crop of tatsoi from plants which I'd raised from seed in trays and then planted out

You can sow them in spent grow bags once you've ousted the tomatoes

[theothermarg]

Very interesting.  Have just been given one by a lotty neighbour that ad too many and ate it in a stir fry so now want to have a go. So what do you reckon my chances of sowing a few seed now ?
Have a bed prepared for my spring greens which I have started in pots so They could go in there.
marg