We loved growing Bok Choy (as part of an 'Asian Vegetable' seedling mix) in our Garden Gizmo Little Sun.
Not only does Bok choy taste delicious raw or cooked, it also ranks sixth on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) for fruits and vegetables! Dr Fuhrman created the ANDI to show how popular foods stack up in terms of micronutrient density per calorie. The more nutrient-dense food you consume, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories.
Bok choy contains a vast amount of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, sodium, copper, manganese, selenium, niacin, folate, choline, beta-carotene, and vitamin K.
However, as amazing as this all sounds our first attempt at growing Boy choy in our Garden Gizmo Little Sun wasn't quite the roaring success we had anticipated. Unfortunately, within weeks the plants had gone to seed, and the leaves then become quite bitter and inedible.
The exact reason why is unclear: Too much water? Too little water? Transplant shock? Too cold? These plants even grow as weeds in certain areas as they bolt so quickly!
As with everything you can see the positive or negative in a situation. While we could no longer harvest the leaves, the bright yellow flowers they grow are really quite beautiful.
So what is the solution? Well, some people see this as a fantastic challenge to create the ultimate growing environment for their bok choy, pak choy etc. to thrive. We see it is a win-win-win as we get to eat the young, fresh greens while we have them, enjoy the beautiful flowers AND then collect the seeds from the plants to re-grow them again and again. Boom!
We'll keep you posted on our next bok choy growing endeavour once we have collected and dried the seeds.
Bring a little sun inside.
GG xx