Bok Choy problem

[JRYezierski]

My bok-choy is bolting. We have not had warm/hot weather here in western Mass,zone5,yet for more than a day or two. Why does my bok-choy bolt on me.I have had this problem everytime I plant it.It gets to about 8'tall than it starts to bolt/flower. It gets all but the first four hours of sun in a day. Is it planted in too sunny of a place? Is the soil too rich? Is the ph wrong? Any one know why this is happening to me? Hope someone can help me out. Thanks Jerome

[Gary Woods]

Plant it in late summer... most varieties will bolt if spring planted; certainly the one I grow from seed given me by a Chinese lady does. I grow some for seed in the spring. My "eating" planting goes in early-late August; it's _very_ frost hardy.

Interestingly enough, stray seed from last year's seed crop gets an early enough start that I get a decent sized head before it bolts in early summer. I may just plant some on the snow as works with lettuce...

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at

Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[simy1]

Here is your problem. You are planting it in spring. Plant it in August and it won't bolt. Certain greens are natural for the fall garden. Besides bok choi, tatsoi and arugula also behave much better in the fall. In fact, the only two spring greens that are foolproof are lettuce and chard.