How to grow pak choi

Takes light frost · Cabbage family

When to sow and plant

Start indoors 8–22 March
Plant out 15–22 March
Sow outdoors 19 April – 3 May

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

Start indoors: 4–6 weeks before the last frost (Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension: Bok Choy Fact Sheet (2025))
Plant out: 4–5 weeks before the last frost (SARE: Northeast Crop Production & Harvest Manual – Bok Choy and Chinese Cabbage)
Sow outdoors: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (RHS: How to grow pak choi)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 1

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean)Expert rule· C
Legumes fix nitrogen that cabbage can use – but it is only released once their roots rot.
C: Expert rule with a reason
Pea Sugar snap and snow pea Bush bean Pole bean Runner bean Broad bean (fava bean)

Disputed · 2

GarlicDisputed· X
Charts call garlic a bad neighbour for cabbage. Field trials in China and India instead found fewer cabbage white caterpillars, aphids and diamondback moths.
X: Sources disagree
Garlic
OnionDisputed· X
Charts call onions a bad neighbour for cabbage. A field trial in India found fewer diamondback moth caterpillars next to onions.
X: Sources disagree
Onion

Gardeners’ lore, not proven · 1

RadishLore: good· D
Considered a good pair; radishes are said to lure flea beetles away from cabbage. Not proven. Both are brassicas (clubroot).
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Radish

Crop rotation

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
If clubroot has appeared in the bed: no plants of the cabbage family for at least 7 years, not even mustard as green manure.

At a glance

Family: Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
Nutrient needs: Medium feeder
Frost: Half-hardy, tolerates light frost
Spacing (row × plant): 30 × 28 cm (12 × 11 in)
Plants per m²: 11.9
Harvest: After 56–70 days from sowing

Spacing according to RHS: How to grow pak choi. Other sources: 38 × 18 cm (15 × 7 in) (Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension: Bok Choy Fact Sheet (2025)).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out pak choi?

Plant out, average for Germany: 15–22 March. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant pak choi?

30 × 28 cm (12 × 11 in) (row × plant), according to RHS: How to grow pak choi.

What grows well next to pak choi?

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean): Good neighbour (C), Garlic: Disputed (X), Onion: Disputed (X) and Radish: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D).

How long a break do pak choi need in the same bed?

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

Sources

Show 14 sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.