Asian Greens

Photo of a person holding a mini bok choy

Harvest Guide

Asian Greens

Harvesting Asian Greens

When It’s Ready
  • Bok Choy: Mature plants are 4-10″ tall. Leaves should be dark green and crisp. (May-early June)
  • Other Asian Greens: Harvest baby greens when they are 4-5″ tall. Don’t remove by the root for an ongoing harvest. (May-early June)
When It’s Too Late
  • When plants have gone to flower (aka bolted), which makes them bitter and unpalatable
  • You can tell a bok choy is starting to bolt when it grows up taller more than out. Harvest ASAP if you see this.
  • Bok choy bolts quickly when the weather is consistently warm
How To
  • Cut plant at its base just above the soil with a sharp knife
  • Leave the “stump” in place
Pro Tip
  • To extend the harvest window for your bok choy, consider harvesting every-other plant as “baby” bok choy when they’re young, giving the remaining plants time and space to grow into “full-size” bok choy
Photo of a person holding a mini bok choy

Growing Asian Greens

Growing baby greens involves planting fast-growing young vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, and harvesting them when they’re still small. One benefit of growing baby greens in a raised bed is improved drainage and warmer soil temperatures, allowing for earlier planting in the spring and a longer growing season in the fall. Baby greens can sprout within 7-14 days and typically reach maturity for harvest within 20-30 days.

Baby greens can be harvested multiple times throughout the growing season, making them a great option for those who want a continuous supply of fresh greens.

Varieties of Asian Greens

Baby Leaf Red Mustard | Baby Leaf Tatsoi | Bok Choy

Storing Asian Greens

Post-Harvest Care: Cool and rinse immediately after harvest by dunking into cold water and drying in a salad spinner.

Fresh Storage: Place in airtight bags or containers and refrigerate. Don’t crush leaves, but it’s ok to compress gently to save on bag space. Lasts up to 1 month when stored fresh from the garden.

Long-Term Storage: N/A

Cooking With Asian Greens

How To Use A Lot: Use a grater or microplane to make quick work of garlic and ginger, flavors that go well with asian greens.
 
Cooking Methods: Sautéed, stir fried, oven-roasted, grilled, or steamed.
 
Common Ingredients:
  • Fats: Canola or peanut oil (neutral), sesame oil, butter
  • Salts: Soy sauce
  • Acids: Rice wine or dry sherry
  • Flavors: Garlic, ginger, chicken stock, red pepper flakes

Recipes

Want To Learn More?

At Backyard Eats, we’re passionate about helping our clients discover and share the magic of homegrown good. Our Harvest Guides will teach you everything you need to know to harvest, store, and cook with fresh produce right from your own backyard! Our Harvest Toolkit Directory includes a list of all our step-by-step guides. Click below to give them a try!

Harvest Toolkit Directory