When the summer garden is generating its final harvests, it is time to plant baby bok choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). Baby bok choy is standard bok choy selected when it’s 5 to 6 inches tall. Grow bok choy from seed starting in late August and it is acceptable for growing in containers. If you’re using seedlings, wait till November to plant. Baby bok choy will grow well through the winter until April, but after summer starts to heat this up cool-season vegetable starts to bolt fast, turning bitter and unpalatable.
Fill a 12-inch-deep pot or planter to 1 inch under the top with normal potting soil. You can use any width container to develop multiple plants. For one baby bok choy pick a 6-inch-diameter bud. Any container must have at least one hole at the bottom for water drainage.
Mix slow-release fertilizer using the soil, blending it thoroughly. Use 1/2 tbsp of 10-10-10 or 14-14-14 fertilizer for each 1 gallon volume of potting soil.
Scoop out holes 6 to 9 inches apart in the container. Make the holes slightly deeper than the size of the root ball. Bok choy started in a cell pack generally includes a root mass of approximately 1-inch diameter and 1 to 2 inches deep.
Slide each seedling out of the cell pack or container and set it in among the pre-prepared holes. Handle it carefully as bok choy stems are fragile and susceptible to breaking with rough handling.
Fill in each hole as you proceed with extra potting soil. Add soil up to the foundation of each baby bok choy. You might have to support the seedling with one hand as you fill in the soil around it till it stands upright by itself.
Water the newly planted bok choy very carefully using a misting sprayer to completely dampen the soil. Water till you begin to observe a little water seep out of the bottom drainage holes.
Place the container in a spot that gets full sun (six or more hours per day) or part shade (between two and four hours daily). In late summer, in case the weather is still warm, keep baby bok choy in part shade.
Add supplemental water when the top of the soil starts to dry out. In warm weather containers can dry out within one day, so check the soil regularly. Water until excess comes out the bottom at each watering to make certain that the soil is getting damp all the way through.