If you’re looking for a quick win in the veggie patch, Asian greens are hard to beat. Bok choy, wombok, mizuna and their leafy cousins are fast, forgiving and absolutely delicious. Better still, many go from seed to supper in as little as six weeks. That’s the kind of gardening the whole family can get excited about.
The range is wonderfully versatile too. Toss them through a stir fry, float them in a soup or scatter young leaves through a fresh salad. However you use them, you’ll be adding plenty of essential vitamins and minerals to family meals.
Here are a couple of insider tips. Sow seeds slightly closer together than the packet suggests so you can harvest the early thinning’s. These tender little morsels are one of the real treats of growing your own. Because Asian greens grow so quickly, they’re perfect for slipping between slower crops to make the most of every bit of garden space.
Getting started with Asian greens
All the Asian greens we love belong to the cabbage and mustard family, which means they enjoy similar growing conditions: cool to warm weather, fertile, free-draining soil and consistent moisture. They’ll soak up as much sun as you can give them, but just three to four hours of direct light is enough to keep them happy, making them ideal for partly shaded gardens.
Before planting, add plenty of well-rotted compost or manure along with organic fertiliser pellets. If your soil is heavy, mound it into rows to improve drainage.
It’s good to know that Asian greens grow beautifully in containers too, making them perfect for balcony gardens. A 30cm pot will comfortably grow two or three bok choy or a full-sized wombok, while a larger 40cm pot can handle a couple of womboks or a generous planting of mixed greens. Use a premium potting mix and, if you can, blend through some compost for an added boost.
Seedlings of common varieties are easy to find, but for less common greens like gai lan and choy sum, you may need to track down seed through Asian supermarkets or online suppliers. Sowing is very simple. Scatter seed where you want it to grow, cover lightly with a few millimetres of soil or compost, keep moist and, within a week, seedlings will be up and racing away. It’s a great activity for kids too.
Growing and harvesting Asian greens
The golden rule with Asian greens is simple: grow fast and harvest young. Consistent moisture is the key, so check plants every day or two, especially in warm weather. Add a 5–7cm layer of sugar cane mulch to hold moisture and suppress weeds.
Feed weekly with a half-strength liquid fertiliser. A mix of seaweed extract and fish emulsion works brilliantly, but any general-purpose liquid feed will do the trick.
Pests like cabbage white butterflies, aphids and snails can all make an appearance. Check under leaves regularly for caterpillars, use a soap spray for aphids and, if snails become a problem, set beer traps or scatter organic baits.
As soon as plants look big enough to eat, harvest them. Don’t wait too long or they’ll become fibrous and lose their sweetness. And when plants reach about half their mature size, sow another round so there’s always a fresh crop coming through.
Top Asian greens to grow at home
Bok choy
Crunchy stems and tender leaves, perfect steamed or tossed through a stir fry.
Choy sum
Mild-flavoured stems and leaves that shine in soups and quick stir fries.
Gai lan
Thick stalks and tiny florets with a rich flavour, delicious lightly steamed.
Tatsoi
Small rounded leaves and crisp stems make this a standout salad green.
Mustard greens
Peppery and bold, ideal for stir fries, soups or pickling.
Wombok
Mild, crisp and incredibly versatile, a true family-friendly all-rounder.
For those who haven’t cooked much with Asian greens, the produce aisle might be a bit overwhelming, especially since the greens can go by multiple names. Here’s a guide to some popular varieties to help you shop like a pro.
