Chinese Cabbage
Brassica rapa (Pekinensis Group)
About it
- Kind
- Vegetables · Annual
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 12 in apart
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 12 in
- Water
- About every 7 days
ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH, feeding needs and mature size yet.
When to plant
- Ready
- About 75 days
Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.
Planting partners
What has been claimed about growing Chinese Cabbage near other plants, grouped by how well it has been tested. Most companion planting advice has never been tested; the notes say which is which.
Tested in field trials
- With plants of the cabbage family Napa cabbage grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
- With Mustard Greens Mustard grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
Mixed evidence
- With Green Onion Green onions are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
- With Marigold Marigolds are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
Safety for pets and children
- Cats No information in our sources
- Dogs No information in our sources
- Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension)
- Children No information in our sources
If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.
Read from NC State Extension ↗.
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
No pest or disease notes for Chinese Cabbage yet.
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
- category NC State Extension ↗ Listed in Table 16-4, "Garden Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs"
- climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Plant Type: Cool Season Vegetable, which ch. 16 defines as cold-hardy. No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
- climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Plant Type: Cool Season Vegetable, which ch. 16 defines as cold-hardy. No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
- days to maturity NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4: Cabbage, Chinese T=45-55, S=75-85; the from-seed low end
- family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt (the catalogue row is the Pekinensis Group)
- life cycle NC State Extension ↗
- life cycle NC State Extension ↗
- min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Not in Table 18-1; 12 in as collards (12), as migration 0039 did for cabbage. Derived. A group figure, as every ch. 18 depth is
- space requirement NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4 distance between plants: 12 in. The table publishes no row distance, so rows equal plants -- the square spacing of an intensive bed
- species NC State Extension ↗
- sunlight NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for horse from the page's "Problem for" listing.
- water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." This is the handbook's general guidance for a vegetable garden, not a figure published for this crop.