Family: Brassicaceae
Common name: Napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Winter cabbage, Peking cabbage, Chinese leaf, Celery cabbage, Wombok, Hakusai, Baechu, Petsai
Napa Cabbage or Chinese Cabbage is a popular vegetable in most East Asian countries, used in salads, soups, stews, and stir fries. They are annual plants that are harvested and eaten in 2-3 months, after which they produce flowers and are used for seeds.
Plant Characteristics
Belonging to the Cabbage and Mustard family, Napa Cabbage plants only grow to a height of 30-50 cm with a shallow fibrous roots that anchors the plant to the soil.
Stem is short and thick with a dense, rosette-like head of leaves almost covering the short stem. Tender stems are also used in stir-fries and salads since they have a crunchy texture.
Leaves of the Napa Cabbage are the most important and edible part. They are large, elongated, light green to yellow in color with a crinkled texture. Veins are white and sunken, giving the leaf a puckered appearance. Edges of the leaves are smooth and ruffled.
Napa Cabbage leaves are 35-45 cm long, with the largest leaves in the outermost periphery. They have a crisp, juicy texture and a mild, slightly peppery taste. As the leaves mature, they can turn bitter and unpalatable.
So, they should be harvested early if they are to be used as vegetables. These leaves are a rich source of Vitamin A and Calcium along with other micronutrients.
Flowers of Napa Cabbage are tiny, about 1-2 cm in diameter, growing in clusters that are held aloft on slender flower stalks that grow from the center of the plant.
Flowers are bright yellow in color with four petals that are arranged in a cross-like shape, which is typical of flowers in Brassicaceae family.
Once the plant flowers, the leaves will become tougher and inedible. So they are harvested before flowering, for commercial purposes. Fruits of the Napa cabbage are long seed pods that are 5-7 cm long containing several tiny black seeds.
Gardening Tips
Napa Cabbage plants love cool weather and good sunlight. So grow them in the beginning of spring or after peak summer. Space the plants well so that they have enough space to grow the rosettes which are 60-80 cm in diameter.
Make sure the soil is porous and well-draining. Water logging or overwatering can make the plant limp and yellow. Plant Napa Cabbages in soil that are is fortified with nutrition, and also fertilize once in 2-3 weeks for good leaf growth.
They are susceptible to many pests and infestations since these plants grow so close to the ground. Growing Napa cabbages in pots is better in home gardens, to reduce chances of aphids, slugs, and worm infestations. Spray neem oil or organic pesticides if you notice holes in the leaves, or premature yellowing.
Harvesting should be done 70-90 days after planting, cuttings 2-3 cm above the root using a sharp, sterilized knife. Once harvested, these can be stored in cold storage for 2-3 weeks.
Napa Cabbages are very closely related to Cabbages or Brassica oleracea var. capitata, Cauliflower or Brassica oleracea var. botrytis and Brassica nigra or Black mustard.
Uses of Napa Cabbage
Napa Cabbages are very versatile – eaten raw, steamed, boiled, sauteed, cooked in a variety of dishes. They are used as the main vegetable for making kimchi, a Korean dish made of salted and ferminted vegeatables. Leaves and young flowering buds can be eaten raw or cooked.
They are good source of Vitamin A, C, and Calcium along with Iron and Magnesium. They are hence useful to improve skin health and digestion because of its high fiber content that can prevent constipation.
They are fast-growing vegetables that can be used for crop rotation, growing them between two commercial crops to improve soil quality. Sowing to harvest is completed in 3-4 months.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds.
Seeds can be collected from dried seedpods and sowed in moist, well-draining soil to germinate in 6-8 days. Mature plants also produce small plantlets near them which can be separated and replanted.
Photographed at: Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah
