Bok Choy Desi Vegetable Seeds

Bok Choy Desi Vegetable Seeds

Planting And Care

• While not as sensitive to heat and cold as Chinese cabbage, spring crops may bolt prematurely if young plants are exposed to frost or a week of night time temperatures below 50 F
• Wait until after the last frost date to direct seed or transplant out
• Start transplants inside 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date
• Transplant 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart
• Use the closer spacings for smaller varieties
• Plant direct-seeded spring crops ¼ to ½ inch deep and about 1 inch apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart
• Thin to 6- to 12-inch spacings
• Use thinnings in salads
• For fall crops, direct seed ¼ to ½ inch deep in rows 18 to 30 inches apart in summer
• set transplants out at 6- to 12-inch spacings 4 to 6 weeks before first frost
• Mulch fall crops heavily and provide adequate moisture to avoid premature bolting
• Keep plants cool when the weather warms; do not let Chinese cabbage sit in direct sun for more than 8 hours each day

Bok Choy Special Feature

Health benefits of Bok choy

Bok choy is one of the popular leafy-vegetables very low in calories. Nonetheless, it is very rich source of many vital phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals and health-benefiting anti-oxidants.

100 g of bok choy contains just 13 calories. It is one of the recommended vegetables in the zero calorie or negative calorie category of foods which when eaten would add no extra weight to the body but in-turn facilitate calorie burns and reduction of weight.

As in other Brassica family vegetables, bok choy also contains certain anti-oxidant plant chemicals like thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zea-xanthin, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanates. Along with dietary fiber, and vitamins these compounds help to protect against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or “bad cholesterol” levels in the blood.

Fresh bok choy is an excellent source of water-soluble antioxidants, vitamin C (ascorbic acid). 100 g provides 45 mg or 75 % of the daily requirements of vitamin C. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

Bok-choy has more vitamin A, carotenes, and other flavonoid polyphenolic anti-oxidants than cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Just 100 g of fresh vegetables provides 4468 IU or 149% of daily-required levels of vitamin A.

Bok choy is a very good source of vitamin K, and provides about 38% of RDA levels. Vitamin K has a potential role in bone metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in bone cells. Therefore, enough vitamin K in the diet makes your bone stronger, and healthier and delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin K also has an established role in curing Alzheimer s disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brains.

Fresh bok choy has many vital B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine (vitamin B6), riboflavin, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish.

Further, this leafy vegetable is a moderate source of minerals, particularly calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important electrolyte in the cell and body fluids that helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.

Bok Choy Uses