I grow bok choy in my greenhouse in winter and early spring.

Bok choy is the spring vegetable that sparks the most curiosity among my followers. No other vegetable gets as many likes and cheers on social media! And I get it. It’s beautiful and delicious. Plus, it’s easy to grow bok choy — which makes it all the more fun to write about.

The bok choy sold in Sweden where I live, is mostly grown in southern Europe. For years, I've heard reports of highly toxic pesticides used to grow bok choy. These are practices that don’t align with our usually high food standards here. Brassicas, in general, are tricky to grow because they attract a lot of pests. That’s why growing your own bok choy at home makes sense for your health, your wallet, the environment, and, of course, the flavor.

In this post, I’ll share the simplest way to grow extra-early bok choy at home. I’ve written a lot about this wonderful vegetable over the years, and you’ll find links to more posts if you want to dive deeper.

Read more: How to grow baby bok choy microgreens

How to Grow Bok Choy Early

No matter where you live, a greenhouse or similar sheltered space is perfect if you want to grow bok choy. You’ll need to start your plants early in the year, preferably in the first few months (depending on where you live of course). Bok choy is a short-day plant, meaning it bolts (flowers) when the days get longer. The goal is to harvest your bok choy before that happens.

Sow the seeds indoors, either in seed trays or densely in a small container. They germinate easily at room temperature. If you start them in January or February, you’ll need grow lights to keep them from getting leggy and weak. Keep the lights on for about 12 hours a day.

Read more: Sautéed bok choy

Transplant the seedlings once they have two sets of leaves. Plant them deep, only the leaves should be above the soil. Grow them individually in small pots, about 3 inches (7 centimeters) wide. If the pot is too big, the plants may struggle.

When the roots start peeking out of the drainage holes, it's time to move them into the greenhouse. You can plant them even when the temperature is below freezing, as long as you cover them with frost cloth. On very cold nights, an extra wool blanket or quilt might be needed to protect the crops.

If you live in a frost-free area in a mild region, you can instead transplant directly from the seed tray into the bed outside.

I can start harvesting large heads of bok choy in April-May, and smaller ones already in March.

I sowed these plants in clusters, with several seeds in each plug. Then I started harvesting in March.

Same spot as the picture above, but this was taken in April. It doesn't take long to grow bok choy.

One single head of bok choy can grow very large.

Bok choy is a dream to harvest at any stage, making it one of the most rewarding greens to grow. Harvest bok choy as a microgreen or pull the entire plant, it’s all up to you! A great trick is to grow bok choy plants extra close together, then harvest every other plant while they’re still small. The rest get enough room to grow big, and you can start harvesting extra early.

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The window for growing bok choy is short in spring, and no two years are the same when it comes to the weather and temperature. Some springs turn warm and sunny early, causing the bok choy to bolt before you even get a proper harvest. Other years, cool and cloudy weather stretches into early summer, giving much better conditions. Because of this, growers need to learn to eat their bok choy on time, adjusting to the quirks of the season. But hey, that’s hardly a problem, right?

I hope you try to grow bok choy at home!
/Sara Bäckmo