Oriental vegetables do best when grown to be picked in spring, autumn and winter. At the height of summer there are plenty of traditional crops to harvest anyway. These exotic greens are exceptionally quick growing which means they fill bare ground rapidly making them ideal for intercropping between slower more widely spaced crops like Brussel sprouts.
They are ideally suited to cut-and-come-again treatment so long as the soil is fertile and they never go short of water. The ultimate size of the crops is controlled by spacing which varies from 10cm to 35cm. Gardeners short of growing space can cultivate them in pots and containers on the patio.
The range of oriental vegetables from seed gets bigger every years with seed firms such as Mr Fothergill’s, D.T. Brown and King’s devoting sections of their catalogues specifically to them.
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The many different varieties of Chinese cabbage mature within 8 to 10 weeks from transplanting. They can be sown direct in the garden, but are best sown in modules in spring or late summer and transplanted 4 to 6 weeks later. Late sowings are ideal for following peas, broad beans and early potatoes. Space plants 35cm apart in fertile soil enriched with organic matter. Chinese cabbages are extremely thirsty, so water regularly in dry weather. The variety ‘Kasumi’ carries an R.H.S. (Royal Horticultural Society) Award of Garden Merit in recognition of its high quality.
Pak choi is an attractive, fast growing relative of the Chinese cabbage with similar cultural requirements. Its leaves have a broad, white, crunchy, succulent mid-rib. This oriental vegetable can be harvested either when young as baby leaves or fully grown. The variety ‘Joy Choi’ can be sown indoors in late February for maturing in the cold greenhouse before tomatoes are planted and again outdoors in August for harvesting in October. ‘Red Choi’ has red/purple leaves with a green underside.
Green in Snow produces spicy hot leaves. Mizuna makes a most attractive cut leaved bushy clump and has a mild flavour whereas Mibuna although not as striking as Mizuna still makes a plant which doesn’t look out of place in the ornamental garden. Seed mixtures of the three are sold as Mustard Greens on account of the hot, peppery, mustardy taste. They can be eaten from the seedling stage onwards, gradually thinning the plants to 30cm apart.
These mixtures contain a variety of oriental vegetables including mizuna, pak choi and non-heading Chinese cabbage. They can be sown from spring to early autumn. Cut the shoots when they are 10cm tall; leave a stump of 3cm and they will re-grow giving 3-4 cuts.
Like all vegetables these oriental greens are susceptible to the ravishes of slugs. They are all brassicas and therefore liable to attack by the usual pests of this family. The most troublesome pest is flea beetle. Covering with horticultural fleece is the best control. The effects of clubroot can be minimized by raising seedlings in modules. These easy-to-grow crops develop so quickly that they mature before the fungus gets a hold.
This selection of oriental vegetables can easily be grown from seed together with others which are dealt with in Grow Your Own Unusual Vegetables From Seed
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