Ingredient Page: Chinese Cabbage (mattvonada.com)
Chinese Cabbage

Culinary Usage:

Chinese cabbage is almost a novelty in the kitchen - you can use it a lot like normal cabbage, but of course it's best in Chinese cooking - stir fries, kimchi, or sauteed.

Planting Time: Mid MAR or Late JUL (in central Maryland)
Harvest Time: (in central Maryland)

Spacing: 12"

upload photo

Gardening Tips:

I'm learning about growing Chinese cabbage still. I've tried to grow michihili in the spring and failed miserably - the cabbage bolted at the first hint of heat, which sometimes comes early here in Maryland.

Usually these are just directly sowed in the garden 4-6 weeks before the last frost. They're supposed to be ready in 50-80 days. Because they don't like the heat, they;re usually planted in the fall.

Fertilizer Notes:

Treat like other brassicas - they like nitrogen.

Preservation Notes:

I imagine you can freeze it in small, blanched chunks. I have never tried.

Matt's Garden Notes:

Matt's 2013 Map

2013: Tried 6 michihili cabbage in spring, sowed roughly March 20th. kept thinned, but bolted very quickly. Am trying michihili and Qingdao in the fall. Planted those July 28 in my northernmost raised bed, Michihili in the southern 8' row, Qingdao in the middle.

I noticed a lot of orange/black bugs on the chinese cabbage in September. I identified them as Harlequin Bugs, and they were absolutely tearing apart the cabbage. Toxic Free NC notes that there are resistant varieties of some cole crops:
"Some types of brassica plants are naturally resistant to Harlequin bugs. NC Cooperative Extension recommends the following varieties:
Cabbage: Copenhagen Market 86, Headstart, Savoy Perfect Drumhead, Stein’s Flat Dutch, Early Jersey Wakefield.
Collards: Green Glaze.
Cauliflower: Early Snowball X, Snowball Y.
Radishes: Red Devil, White Icicle, Globemaster, Cherry Belle, Champion, Red Prince."

Recipes using Chinese Cabbage:

©2025 Matt Vonada-- homebrowse recipesbrowse ingredientssign in