Growing Chinese Broccoli for Fresh Harvests in Every Season

I grow Chinese broccoli Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra for the snap, the sweet-bitter bite, and the quick turnaround. It behaves like a sprinter with a chef’s palate.

Chinese broccoli, also called gai lan or Chinese kale, forms thick, juicy stems with glossy leaves and small flower buds. It cooks in minutes and rewards fast picking with tender regrowth.

Cool weather sharpens the flavor, while heat pushes it toward flowers. That pressure is the core of Growing Chinese Broccoli in all seasons.

• Spring and fall: prime windows at 55 to 75 F, 13 to 24 C.
• Summer: 30 percent shade cloth, tight irrigation, fast varieties, and quick harvests.
• Winter: low tunnels or a cold frame, frost cloth, and plantings started late summer.
• Every 10 to 14 days: succession sowing to keep bunches coming.

• Green Lance F1: fast, uniform, tender stems, reliable for spring and fall.
• Kailaan open-pollinated: classic flavor, a bit more leaf, handles mild heat better than most.
• Suiho: thick stems, lovely for grilling, benefits from rich soil.
• Yod Fah Thai type: quick to first cut, good side-shooting after harvest.

For absolute heat, I slot in cousins like choy sum during peak summer, then swing back to true gai lan. The table stays stocked, and my beds keep moving.

Aim for pH 6.3 to 7.2, with the sweet spot near 6.8 to reduce clubroot pressure. Work in mature compost and a balanced pre-plant organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen.

Leafy brassicas respond to steady nitrogen at about 2 to 3 lb N per 1000 sq ft, 98 to 146 g per 10 sq m, split applications. I side-dress lightly once plants hit 4 leaves, then again after the first cut.

Direct sow 0.25 to 0.5 inch deep, 6 to 13 mm, then thin. Or raise transplants for uniform stands in 3 to 4 weeks at 65 to 75 F, 18 to 24 C.

Baby stems: 6 to 8 inches apart, 15 to 20 cm. Full stems: 10 to 12 inches apart, 25 to 30 cm, with rows 12 to 18 inches, 30 to 45 cm.

Keep moisture even from seed to harvest. Erratic water makes stems stringy and bitter.

“Most vegetables need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.” 25 to 38 mm. University of Minnesota Extension

I use drip with a thin mulch to keep leaves dry, then overhead only for germination or to knock back aphids. Morning irrigation keeps disease pressure lower.

Sow as soon as soil hits 45 F, 7 C, and is workable. Plants take off once nights settle above 50 F, 10 C.

Row cover over hoops speeds growth and shields flea beetles. Pull covers once buds form to avoid trapped heat.

Grow the fast ones and keep them moving. I use 30 percent shade cloth and harvest younger at 6 to 8 inches, 15 to 20 cm.

Plant in afternoon shade, water at dawn, and side-dress lightly. Heat plus long days pushes bolting, so sow little and often.

My highest quality gai lan comes from late summer sowings that mature in cool, bright fall light. Flavor deepens and stems stay juicy.

Sow every 10 days until roughly 6 weeks before first hard frost. Most strains shrug off light frosts to 28 F, minus 2 C.

In zones 7 to 9, fall-transplanted gai lan cruises under a low tunnel with 0.9 to 1.5 oz row cover, 30 to 50 gsm. I vent on sunny days to prevent condensation and mildew.

Colder zones shift to protected culture or indoor starts under lights at 55 to 65 F, 13 to 18 C, then finish in a tunnel on black plastic for extra soil warmth.

Use 5 to 10 gallon, 19 to 38 L, fabric pots with a peat-free, compost-forward mix. Plant 2 to 3 per 10 gallon, and feed weekly with a mild liquid fish and kelp blend.

Germinate indoors with lights set 6 inches, 15 cm, above the canopy. Bring them outside once night temps hold at 50 F, 10 C.

• Flea beetles: insect netting from emergence, 0.35 to 0.8 mm mesh, plus shallow trap crops of radish on the upwind edge.
• Cabbage loopers and diamondback moth: scout leaf undersides weekly, hand-crush eggs, use Bt when larvae are small.
• Aphids: hard water spray, then release or encourage lacewings and lady beetles with cilantro and dill in the borders.
• Slugs: beer traps, iron phosphate bait, and morning harvests when they hide.

Rotate away from brassicas for 3 to 4 years to reduce clubroot and black rot. Keep beds tidy and vent covers to dry leaf surfaces fast.

• Clubroot: limed soil near pH 7, strict rotation, clean transplants, never move infected soil on tools.
• Downy mildew: improve airflow, water early, remove oldest leaves first at harvest.
• Black rot: start with certified seed, avoid overhead irrigation once canopies close.

Cut the central stem when buds are tight and only a few show yellow hints. I take 6 to 10 inch stems, 15 to 25 cm, with two leaves attached for kitchen speed.

Plants throw 2 to 4 side shoots after the first cut. Keep picking every 2 to 4 days and they keep paying rent.

Hydro-cool in cold water right away, then spin or shake dry. Store at 32 to 36 F, 0 to 2 C, in high humidity.

Keep away from ethylene. Quality is best inside 5 to 10 days, though I try to cook within 72 hours.

Quick blanch, then sear in a ripping hot pan with garlic, ginger, and oyster sauce. Grilling thick stems adds smoke that plays nice with sesame oil.

Older stems peel like asparagus. I salt them a bit heavier and lean on acid to balance the brassica sweetness.

• Bolting early: sow faster-maturing varieties, use shade cloth, and keep soil moist.
• Tough or stringy stems: steady water, pick younger, and avoid heat stress.
• Yellow lower leaves: nitrogen hunger or water stress, side-dress and mulch.
• Hollow stems: uneven growth or boron deficiency, confirm with a soil test before correcting.
• Swiss cheese leaves: flea beetles, deploy netting immediately after sowing next round.

1. Start transplants every 2 weeks from late winter through spring. Direct sow once soils warm.
2. Pause in peak heat and run shaded, fast crops, 30 to 35 days to baby harvests.
3. Resume hard in late summer for a long fall pull, then tuck a protected winter bed.

• 30 percent shade cloth and a simple hoop setup.
• Floating row cover around 0.9 oz, 30 gsm, for spring and fall protection.
• Fine insect netting for flea beetles, reused over multiple seasons.
• Drip line with 12 inch, 30 cm, emitters and a simple timer.
• Harvest knife with a blunt tip for clean, fast cuts.

• Specialty Asian vegetable seed houses carry deep selections and cultural notes.
• Market grower suppliers list days to maturity, disease notes, and postharvest tips that save time.

Look for days to maturity of 35 to 45 for baby and 50 to 60 for full stems. Ask for germ tests and lot numbers if you are planting at scale.

Cool-season brassicas grow best in the 60s F, 15 to 20 C, which lines up with steady sugars and slower bolt pressure. University and extension guides echo the same water and rotation rules I use in the field.

For deeper reading, see University of Minnesota Extension on weekly irrigation needs, UC IPM on brassica pests and rotations, and Johnny’s Selected Seeds cultural notes for Chinese broccoli. USDA FoodData Central lists the vitamin-rich profile that cooks chase in fresh gai lan.

My best yields come from cutting at first hint of loosened buds, never later. Plants that are picked clean regrow cleaner and resist pests better than those left shaggy.

On scorching July days I ice the irrigation tank, a kitchen trick borrowed for the field. Cooler water drops leaf temps just enough to hold quality until the next cloud bank rolls in.

Growing Chinese Broccoli rewards patience, timing, and a bit of grit. This vegetable doesn’t demand coddling—give it full sun, steady moisture, and rich soil, and it answers back with crisp stalks and glossy greens across the calendar. Succession planting is the key: stagger your sowings, and you can keep the harvests coming even when frost nips other greens. Snip often, and the plants rebound with new shoots, ready for stir-fry, salad, or a simple sauté.

If you’re hooked on hearty leafy crops, you might want to branch out and grow kale or try raising cauliflower. In the end, growing Chinese broccoli is about embracing each season’s rhythm—and savoring every fresh bite that only a home garden can deliver.