Tatsoi

About Tatsoi

Tatsoi is an Asian green that grows as a low, flat rosette of glossy, spoon-shaped, dark green leaves. It is very cold hardy and matures fast, and it does best as a fall crop. It is a close cousin of bok choy.

Grown as a cool-season annual in every zone; mature plants take frost and even snow, so it works as a fall and winter green. It is the same species as field mustard, which the California Invasive Plant Council rates Limited (advisory).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

• Start seeds indoors: 4 to 5 weeks before the last frost

Days count from seeding. Start transplants indoors 4 to 5 weeks before the last frost; spring plants bolt easily, so fall sowings do better. For fall, sow from July every week until 4 to 5 weeks before the first frost.

Soil

Fertile soil with steady moisture; don't plant it where other cabbage-family crops just grew.

Aim for pH 6.2 to 6.5, follow a soil test (check boron), and don't plant right after other cabbage-family crops.

Feeding

Hot, dry weather makes it bolt; water often and grow it mainly in fall.

Harvest

Cut young leaves when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall, or cut the whole rosette at the base like bok choy. Pick in the cool of the morning.

Most growers cut the whole rosette once, like bok choy, or cut bunches of young leaves at 4 to 6 inches; fall sowings every week keep a supply coming.

Pests to watch for

Flea beetles, Cutworms, Cabbage maggot, Imported cabbageworm, Diamondback moth

Diseases and problems

Black rot of cabbage-family crops

In the kitchen

Tender leaves go raw into salads or are cooked for a minute or two in stir-fries and sautes.

Keeping it: Keep it cold and humid in a closed bag in the refrigerator, away from produce that gives off ethylene gas, which yellows the leaves.

Safety: If you take the blood thinner warfarin, keep the amount of leafy greens you eat about the same from day to day, because they are rich in vitamin K (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA