Bopak Bok Choy
Brassica rapa var. chinensis 'Bopak'
Height: 8 inches
Spacing: 10 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
An early maturing variety with a compact, upright dense habit, ideal for large containers or small gardens; clusters of white stalks with dark green outer leaves grow up to 8"; tender with a crisp sweet taste, great for soups, stews and oriental dishes
Edible Qualities
Bopak Bok Choy is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. The oval dark green leaves with distinctive creamy white veins are usually harvested from late spring to early fall. The leaves have a sweet taste and a crisp texture.
The leaves are most often used in the following ways:
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Cooking
- Baking
Planting & Growing
Bopak Bok Choy will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. Because of its relatively short time to maturity, it lends itself to a series of successive plantings each staggered by a week or two; this will prolong the effective harvest period.
This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.
Bopak Bok Choy is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
