Garden Scheme
Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
Bok choy is a compact annual vegetable grown for crisp stems and mild leaves, reaching about 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide. Its 45-day maturity makes it useful for filling open space between longer-season crops or for repeating small sowings through the spring-to-fall harvest window. Use it where a low, leafy crop can stay easy to reach for frequent picking.
Space Bok Choy 9 inches apart, measured center to center (23 cm).
The mature spread is about 12 inches (30 cm), so plants set at that distance grow together into a closed canopy over the bed.
Treat 9 inches as a planning baseline — cultivar and local growing conditions shift the final footprint.
Place bok choy along the front or middle of a food bed, rather than behind taller summer crops that could close out its partial sun. A short, 2- to 3-foot-wide block beside a path keeps outer leaves within reach and makes successive plantings simple to manage.
Set plants 9 inches apart, center to center. That close spacing forms a continuous small-scale planting while allowing each plant to occupy its roughly 12-inch mature spread. In a rectangular bed, use several short rows instead of one deep block so the center remains reachable without stepping into the soil. Leave a clear edge next to a path for harvest and watering.
Give bok choy partial sun and regular water in fertile soil that drains well while holding moisture. Keep moisture steady from emergence through harvest, especially in close-planted blocks where the soil surface is quickly covered. A bed with easy hose or drip access is more practical than a dry border, since uneven watering can reduce head quality and make leaves less tender.[1][2]
Use bok choy as a spring and fall crop, with succession sowings to keep the harvest moving. Cool conditions suit its quick growth, while prolonged chilly spring nights followed by warming weather can trigger early flowering. Plan a late-summer sowing in space released by an early crop, then harvest whole plants promptly as they reach usable size or take the oldest outer leaves first.[1][2]
Treat bok choy as a short-stay crop rather than a permanent bed occupant. Once plants begin sending up flowering stems, their leafy growth stops, so clear that section for the next sowing or crop instead of holding the space. Where insect pressure is a recurring concern, reserve enough bed width for a lightweight row cover and secure its edges without crowding adjacent plantings.[1]