Chinese Cabbage Seeds (Heirloom)

Heirloom Chinese cabbage, another cool-season vegetable, grows promptly and provides crisp, mild-flavored leaves. Heirloom Chinese cabbage leaves have an oblong form with light green and yellow hues that frill out at the edges. This cool-season vegetable is frequently substituted for lettuce and other leafy greens in salads. Compared to conventional cabbage, Heirloom Chinese cabbage contains significantly more vitamins and minerals. To gain the benefits of this versatile and delicious vegetable, start growing your own!

What we love about planting heirloom Chinese cabbage

  • Delicious cool-season annual
  • Ready to harvest after about two months
  • Offering healthy vitamins and nutrients
  • Hardy, frost-tolerant vegetable

What we love about planting heirloom Chinese cabbage

  • Delicious cool-season annual
  • Ready to harvest after about two months
  • Offering healthy vitamins and nutrients
  • Hardy, frost-tolerant vegetable

Eden Brothers' Heirloom Michihili Chinese Cabbage Seeds, also known as Napa cabbage seeds offer a tight headed green that looks like a pale romaine lettuce, whereas Heirloom Pak Choy White Stem Chinese Cabbage Seeds, also known as pak choi seeds or bok choy seeds produce a plant 12 to 18 inches in height with smooth white stalks that resemble celery. Expect to harvest your heirloom Chinese cabbage 50 to 75 days after sowing your seeds.

Sow heirloom Chinese cabbage seeds directly in the garden as early as four to six weeks before the last frost date in spring if growing in the lower zones. Plant in the fall when temperatures drop below 75°F in the warmer zones. Start seeds six to eight weeks before the final spring frost if you're starting them indoors. Use soil that drains well and is friable, with temperatures between 60 and 65°F. Plant three to four seeds at a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heirloom Chinese cabbage seeds enjoy strong light and may be grown under grow lights if necessary.

Harden off heirloom Chinese cabbage plants and move them outside two to three weeks before the last predicted frost, or when they reach a height of three to four inches. Plant your heirloom Chinese cabbage plants about 24 inches apart, or a little closer if you have smaller plants.

Two inches of water each week is required for heirloom Chinese cabbage plants. Cover the plant heads if there is a chance of frost. Harvest after about 70 days, or when the heads have firmed up and reached the ideal size. Cut the heirloom Chinese cabbage at the base with a sharp knife, removing any yellow leaves, and store the veggies indoors or in the shade as soon as possible. Heirloom Chinese cabbage will keep for just over a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, or it can be kept in long-term cold storage for three to four months.

The culinary possibilities after harvesting heirloom Chinese cabbage are infinite. This tasty vegetable can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or stir-fried. Soups, stews, pasta dishes, and other meals benefit from the flavor of the cooked leaves. For salads and slaws, heirloom Chinese cabbage can also be sliced or roughly shredded.

For more information about planting, growing, and caring for heirloom Chinese cabbage seed, see the Chinese Cabbage Seeds Planting Guide.