Pechay is one of those leafy vegetables that can easily grow in containers. It is a very popular vegetable in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine. In western countries, they are also known as “bok choy” or “pak choy”. The pechay leaves are smooth and dark green in color forming a cluster similar to mustard greens. In the Philippines, we usually add pechay leaves to beef or pork broth soups, or on their own, they are best sautéed with garlic.
Sowing the Pechay Seeds
I usually start by sowing the seeds in a seed tray. Drop 2 to 3 seeds per slot, then cover them with a thin layer of potting mix or compost. In just 3-4 days, you can already see the small buds growing out of the soil. Once the third or fourth leaf appears after around 2 weeks, I transfer the seedlings to a bigger pot of about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. I then choose the healthiest seedlings and pull out the others. If you have a bigger container, you can grow 2 or 3 plants in the pot. However, you don’t want the plants to be overcrowded as this will limit the growth of the leaves. I made this mistake in my earlier tries which resulted in smaller and leggy leaves.
Pechay seedlings after about 3 weeks
Watering your Pechay
I use rice wash to water the plants every morning. Rice wash is very rich in various nutrients that the plants need in order to grow healthy. In the Philippines, steamed rice is a staple in our meals so I get my daily supply of rice wash from some kind neighbors. In exchange, they get a share in my produce which they appreciate very much.
Pechay plants do need sunlight
While these plants can grow in partial shade, they need to get at least 4 hours of direct sunlight in order to grow faster and healthier. During my first few trials, I placed the pots in my back patio. As a result, the plants would only get a maximum 1 hour of direct sunlight. After more than a month, I noticed that the seedlings hardly grew taller than an inch. So I decided to move them to my front yard where they could get more exposure to direct sunlight. Here the plants started to grow faster and healthier.
Last summer, the temperature in the Philippines reached 38 degrees Celsius at peak times. This scorched the leaves of my plants, and even caused some of them to wilt. So I decided to move the plants under some bamboo trees so they could be protected from the scorching heat while still allowing them to get at least 4 hours of daily morning sun. Pechay leaves wither easily if they lack water, so I also made sure I water the plants daily during the summer months.
Harvesting the Pechay Leaves
After another 3 weeks, the pechay leaves were ready for harvest. When planted in containers, pechay plants do not grow as big as they should when planted in farm lots. Nevertheless, with a good soil mix conditioned regularly with compost, they can yield a good amount of produce for the gardener.
There are two options for harvesting pechay. The first option is to cut only the mature leaves around 1 to 2 inches from the root base. The plant will grow new leaves which can be harvested again after a few weeks. The second option is to pull out the entire plant from the soil. If you choose the first option, I suggest that you use the second option for the next round of harvest. From my experience, the plants yield less and less in succeeding harvests.
Additional tips
Pechay leaves are prone to pest attack, particularly the leaf miner and flea beatle. Fortunately, they are easy to handle using common organic pesticides. I usually buy organic pesticides from gardening shops or use a home-made solution from canola oil, dishwashing soap and water.
Pechay is a good starter plant for beginner gardeners. They thrive easily in a tropical weather condition and they never fail to give ambitious gardeners like me a huge feeling of fulfillment after every bountiful harvest.
