Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) is a plant. It grows best in full sun and has moderate water needs. It grows well with garlic and dill.
About Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage is an annual plant that grows 50 cm tall. It grows fast. It is self-fertile, so you only need one.
The flowers attract pollinators.
How to plant napa cabbage
Napa cabbage does best in full sun, but also copes with part shade. It grows in loam, clay and sandy soil, as long as the soil is well drained. It does best at a pH of 6.5–7. In a forest garden it belongs in the herb layer.
Plant plants 30 cm apart, at least 25 cm. It struggles in compacted soil, so keep the soil loose.
A year with Napa cabbage
Spring. Water during dry spells in March. Feed it in March. Use synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Sow seed in April–September. Keep the ground around it weed-free in April–June. Harvest falls in May. The leaves can be eaten. Recorded from the source text, not a safety check. Confirm with a trusted guide before eating anything. Water during dry spells in May–September. Feed it in May. Use synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Summer. It has yellow flowers in June.
Autumn. Protect it from frost and cold in September–November. Harvest falls in November.
Pests and diseases
Napa cabbage can be attacked by small white butterfly (pieris rapae), slugs, large white butterfly (pieris brassicae), cabbage root fly (delia radicum), cabbage seed weevil (ceutorhynchus assimilis) and cabbage looper. Diseases include clubroot, downy mildew, alternaria brassicae, alternaria brassicicola, colletotrichum higginsianum and aphanomyces raphani.
Companions and wildlife
Napa cabbageThe family
Napa cabbage is a variety of Turnip, in the genus Brassica. Open a species to see what lies under it.
Napa cabbagesubsp. pekinensisThis pageSources
Added to the wiki 12 October 2026
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