Chinese cabbage
Brassica rapa var. chinensis
A vegetable, sown April to August. It needs 4 jobs a year.
In September: pick a few Chinese cabbage leaves at a time and cover it with a cloche or fleece.
Add Chinese cabbage to my plot
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Chinese cabbage, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Sow another batch of Chinese cabbages. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Pick a few Chinese cabbage leaves at a time. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
| Net the Chinese cabbage. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
| Cover the Chinese cabbage with a cloche or fleece. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover in April, 1cm deep. Strong source: RHS.
Sow outdoors May to August, 1cm deep, 30cm apart, rows 40 to 45cm apart. Strong source: RHS.
Sow another batch of Chinese cabbages
Gardeners call this successional sowing.
Sow a small batch about every three weeks, with rows 40 to 45cm apart.
Usually May to August. Strong source: RHS.
Pick a few Chinese cabbage leaves at a time
Gardeners call this cut-and-come-again harvesting.
Usually June to November. Strong source: RHS.
Net the Chinese cabbage
Use insect-proof mesh on plants grown for heads, against cabbage caterpillars and cabbage root fly.
Usually June to August. Strong source: RHS.
Cover the Chinese cabbage with a cloche or fleece
Cover maturing plants in autumn to stop damp rotting the heart.
Usually September to November. Strong source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.
Add Chinese cabbage to my plot
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Chinese cabbage” comes from.