All of them are best grown in spring or fall because they don’t like hot weather. They can even be grown in the winter in a greenhouse, cold frame, or out in the open in Zones 7 and up.
Let’s take a look at 25 of the best Chinese cabbage varieties to grow at home. Here’s the lineup:
Best Chinese Cabbage Varieties
1. Bae Moo Chae
If typical Chinese cabbages are a bit too mild for you, ‘Bae Moo Chae’ has entered the chat.
This is a first-generation cross between Chinese cabbage and a radish. While the flavor isn’t quite as spicy as a radish, it definitely has more kick than a traditional napa.
The heads have a similar shape to those of napa, but are a bit more loosely packed.
The thick, white ribs hold dark green leaves with lacy edges. And, like a radish, it has a large root that you can also eat. Consider ‘Bae Moo Chae’ two veggies for the price of one.
‘Bae Moo Chae’
The heads can grow up to 18 inches tall and weigh about four pounds in about 65 days.
You can find seeds in a variety of packet sizes available at True Leaf Market.
2. Barrel Head
‘Barrel Head’ is big! Yes, it definitely has that barrel-like shape that makes napa cabbages stand out, but at nearly five pounds and over a foot tall, these veggies are an impressive size.
All that goodness takes about 75 days to mature, so plan ahead.
‘Barrel Head’ has medium green leaves, cream stalks, and pale yellow center leaves. It’s resistant to bolting, downy mildew, and clubroot as well.
‘Barrel Head’
You can find packets of 200 or 1,000 seeds available at Burpee.
3. Bilko
Slow-bolting ‘Bilko’ has a gorgeous deep green hue on the outer leaves with creamy white stems and buttery yellow centers.
The heads have a sweet, mild flavor and grow up to a foot tall in just 60 days, all while resisting fusarium yellows, black speck, and club root.
It’s a fairly adaptable type, so it can withstand a wider range of environmental conditions than some other napa varieties.
‘Bilko’
High Mowing Seeds carries this exceptional option in quantities ranging from 25 to 100 million.
Plus, they independently test all their seeds for black rot and black leg. Snag yours and get growing!
4. China Express
All aboard! The ‘China Express’ is bringing us to five-pound heads that grow about a foot tall with a pleasant barrel-like shape.
Even more eye-catching are the deep green leaves contrasted against the snow-white stems.
Sow seeds and just two months later you’ll be enjoying the sweet, mild leaves, which form in tightly compact heads.
Oh, and didn’t I mention that this express is extremely fast? It’s one of the earliest maturing cultivars of this size.
‘China Express’
You can find ‘China Express’ seeds available from True Leaf Market in a variety of package sizes.
5. Chun Yeon
Slow-bolting ‘Chun Yeon’ has a brilliant gold heart surrounded by light green leaves and white stems.
This napa type is resistant to downy mildew, tip burn, and soft rot and is ready to pluck out of the ground after 70 days.
The heads grow to about two-and-a-half pounds and up to 10 inches tall.
The leaves have a lower moisture content than many cultivars, which makes ‘Chun Yeon’ ideal for making kimchi.
‘Chun Yeon’
If you’re ready to whip out grandma’s kimchi recipe, get some in the ground by visiting True Leaf Market to pick up some seeds.
6. Emiko
At 12 inches tall with crisp, juicy leaves held on creamy stalks with light green leaves, ‘Emiko’ is a classic napa option.
The heads are dense, weighing up to six pounds each, and packed full of mild, sweet leaves.
This cultivar is the one I often have in my garden because it’s perfect for salads and tacos, plus it’s ready in just 62 days.
That means heaps of veggies in just two months. It’s also resistant to fusarium yellows, bacterial soft rot, pepper spot, club root, and tip burn. Plus, it resists bolting.
In other words, it’s just about perfect.
‘Emiko’
High Mowing Seeds carries ‘Emiko’ seeds in a variety of packet sizes. Pop over there and grab as many as you need to keep your garden supplied.
7. Green Rocket
This gorgeous napa-type rockets to an impressive 18 inches tall in about 70 days.
It has a compact, cylindrical shape that you’d expect from any space rocket, and it can be stored for a good, long time.
The four-pound narrow heads look particularly cool in the garden, and even better in a display basket, so they’re awesome for those selling their greens at a farmer’s market.
‘Green Rocket’
Plus the medium-green leaves have frilly edges and contrast beautifully against the snow-white ribs.
Find ‘Green Rocket’ seeds in a variety of packet sizes at True Leaf Market and get ready for lift off!
8. Hotau Improved
You want itty-bitty bok choy heads? Small enough that you can devour an entire head in one sitting all by yourself?
Small enough that you’ll say “awwww, so cute!” every time you walk by the garden?
Grab yourself some ‘Hotau Improved’ seeds!
After you sow the seeds, in just 30 to 40 days, you’ll be enjoying the four-inch-tall heads with deep green leaves and prominent white ribs.
‘Hotau Improved’
Some fast-growing plants can also be quick to bolt, but this one isn’t.
It will also tolerate some heat, which means you could potentially have five or six crops each year of this adorable little vegetable.
True Leaf Market carries ‘Hotau Improved’ seeds available in two-gram, ounce, four-ounce, pound, and five-pound quantities.
9. Joi Choi
Quick to mature and oh-so-easygoing, ‘Joi Choi’ is a joy to have in the garden.
It’s drought- and heat-tolerant, can grow up to 18 inches tall and weigh up to four pounds, and isn’t at all concerned about snow or a freeze.
All that is enough to recommend it, but then you find out that it matures in just 45-ish days and it’s even more appealing.
‘Joi Choi’
Plus, you can harvest the younger leaves as you need them.
Sold? True Leaf Market carries ‘Joi Choi’ seeds in gram, ounce, and four-ounce packets so you can start enjoying your harvest.
10. Kyoto #3
‘Kyoto #3’ is one chunky napa. It reaches about seven pounds at maturity, though it’s still just about a foot tall.
Producing big veggies of this size takes some time and the barrel-shaped heads won’t be ready until about 80 days from sowing.
The leaves are extremely crisp and crunchy. They have a sweet, mild flavor, with a bright green hue contrasted against white stems. It’s ideal for cabbage rolls or slaw.
This dento yasai, or traditional Japanese vegetable, provides the classic sweet, mild flavor that everyone loves.
‘Kyoto #3’
True Leaf Market has seeds for this heirloom variety in two-gram, one-ounce, four-ounce, one-pound, or five-pound containers.
11. Michihili
This open-pollinated heirloom is a napa cabbage but it forms loose heads of deep green ruffled leaves with light green stems.
It has a marvelous sweet, mild flavor that has kept it popular for many years.
The heads grow to about five pounds and 17 inches tall and have a narrow shape, which means you can pack a lot of them into the garden.
It doesn’t like warm weather and will bolt quickly, so grow ‘Michihili’ in the spring or fall, when it will mature in about 75 days.
If warm weather arrives, the heads will be more loosely formed, or you can even harvest them early. They’ll still be delicious.
‘Michihili’
If you’d like to give this beloved classic a try, Eden Brothers carries seeds in packets, ounce, quarter pound, pound, and five-pound quantities.
12. Mini Napa #2
‘Mini Napa #2’ is everything you love about a classic napa packed into a petite package. It tops out at about three pounds and nine inches tall.
But it has the classic barrel shape and tastes exactly like the Chinese cabbage we all know and love.
The outer leaves are medium green with a creamy yellow heart, all held on white stems.
‘Mini Napa #2’
You’ll also see it sold as ‘Wa Wa Tsai.’ The flavor of the tender leaves is mild and sweet, and it’s ready to eat in about 60 days.
You can find seeds in a variety of packet sizes available at True Leaf Market.
13. One Kilo Slow Bolt
This napa cabbage has a big name to capture all its positive attributes.
The large, tightly packed heads can grow over a kilo in weight, up to three pounds each, and up to a foot tall.
The green leaves and white stems enclose a creamy-yellow center packed full of mild, sweet leaves.
‘One Kilo Slow Bolt’
And, yes, as the name indicates, it’s slow to bolt, though it isn’t a fan of cold weather. Grab a packet of seeds at Botanical Interests.
14. Pagoda 70
‘Pagoda 70’ is a looker. I’d plant this napa as an ornamental. The light green leaves hide a butter-yellow heart.
It’s slow to bolt, a vigorous grower, and reaches up to five pounds and 14 inches tall in about 75 days.
Why does it take so long to mature? It has a striking, compact, cone-like shape that takes a while to form, but it’s totally worth the wait.
‘Pagoda 70’
You’ll be harvesting the angular veggies and enjoying the mild, sweet flavor before you know it.
Run over to True Leaf Market to find packets of seeds in gram, ounce, four-ounce, and pound quantities.
15. Pure Joy
‘Pure Joy’ lives up to its name. It’s easy to grow and matures at a manageable seven inches tall in just 38 to 48 days.
The baby leaves can be harvested even sooner. It’s a slightly smaller take on the classic pak choi, featuring those recognizable green leaves and pale green stems.
‘Pure Joy’
Purchase 200 seeds from Burpee and prepare yourself to enjoy the sweet, crunchy, mildly peppery flavor.
16. Purple Gem
‘Purple Gem’ is a jewel in the garden. The deep purple leaves of this pak choi type stand out dramatically against the lime green stems.
Even the baby greens are brightly colored. The plant will ultimately mature at about eight inches tall in 45 days, but baby greens are ready weeks before that.
Whether mature or young, the leaves have a sweet, slightly mustardy flavor.
‘Purple Gem’
You can find seeds available at True Leaf Market in a variety of packet sizes and in bulk.
17. RCC3 Red
‘RCC3 Red’ isn’t the prettiest name, so call it ‘Scarlette’ or ‘Red Dragon,’ as it’s also known. Bred and released by Kwonnong Seeds, it grows to about a foot long and five pounds.
While they look like the classic napa in all other ways, it’s as if someone dipped them in purple paint.
The leaves are magenta with snowy-white stems, and are sweeter than your typical green cultivar. Combined with the color, ‘RCC3 Red’ makes the perfect option for leaf wraps, garnishes, or salads.
‘RCC3 Red’
You can find packets of 50 or 1,000 seeds available at True Leaf Market.
18. Red Inferno
‘Red Inferno’ seems to smolder from within, with gorgeous dark red, nearly black leaves on lime green stems.
It’s packed full of nutrients thanks to the compounds that create that darker hue, so you can feel virtuous while digging into the sweet leaves with a bit of mustardy pepperiness.
‘Red Inferno’
The pak choi type heads grow to about 10 inches tall in approximately 45 days, though you can harvest individual leaves anytime they reach the size you want.
Pick up a packet of seeds at Eden Brothers.
19. Red Tatsoi
Tatsoi is pretty to begin with, but add in a deep purple-red hue to the leaves on lime green stems and you’ve got an edible that is attractive enough to be an ornamental.
The spoon-shaped foliage is sweet and a bit tangy, with more mustardy zing than your average pak choi. Cook it up, and it takes on a similar flavor to spinach.
As with other tatsoi types, you can use it as a cut-and-come-again or harvest the heads when mature, which takes about 45 days in the case of ‘Red Tatsoi.’
‘Red Tatsoi’
When mature, the leaves can be up to ten inches long. You know you want some!
Visit True Leaf Market to pick up seeds in a variety of quantities and in bulk.
20. Summer Zest
While some pak choi hybrids wilt in the summer heat, ‘Summer Zest’ is totally happy when the weather warms up.
It’s one of the most heat-tolerant Chinese cabbages out there. The dark green leaves grow on medium green stems on a plant that tops out at 10 inches tall in just 45 days.
‘Summer Zest’
For those who want to enjoy pak choi but don’t have a ton of cool days for growing, ‘Summer Zest’ is a great option.
Start your summer garden by picking up seeds from True Leaf Market.
21. Tatsoi
Your classic spoon mustard, tatsoi has glossy, rippled green leaves that form in a wide rosette. It has a hint of mustard flavor, but isn’t as pungent as mustard.
This one is always in my garden during the winter because an extended freeze or a foot of snow isn’t going to kill it.
Tatsoi
It takes about 55 days for the eight-inch-long leaves to reach maturity, but you can also harvest them younger as needed.
Pick up a packet of seeds at Botanical Interests and get planting!
22. Toy Choi
‘Toy Choi’ is small enough to feed the various attendees of a child’s tea party, but it’s also just right as a single serving for an adult who wants a nutritious meal.
This mini vegetable has smooth, green leaves and white stalks with a mild, sweet flavor.
‘Toy Choi’
It’s heat-tolerant and grows to just five inches tall in about a month, which means if you hurry and grab a packet of seeds at Botanical Interests, you could be indulging very soon!
23. Vivid Choi
‘Vivid Choi’ pak choi forms loose heads that are somewhere in between tatsoi and bok choy in terms of shape.
