Unique fast growing blonde leaf with ruffled texture and buttery leaf is perfect for mixes
Tokyo Bekana adds loft and a pop of colour to salad mixes. A non-heading Chinese cabbage that has buttery leaves with a crunchy rib and mild flavour. At full size, softly curled leaves on narrow, white petioles can be sold as bunched greens. Thin to 10cm – 20cm for full-size heads for bunching or grow as as baby-leaf for cut and come again. Day to maturity 18 baby; 45 full size
Key features
Non-heading Chinese cabbage
Blonde leaf with ruffled texture
Buttery leaves with a crunchy rib and mild flavour
Market as loose feaf or full-size heads for bunching
CULTURE: Sow from early spring through midsummer. May be sown into late fall in mild climates or when overwintering in a high tunnel or other protected structure. For full-size bunching: sow 15 seeds/30cm, 6mm deep in rows 30-45cm apart. Most varieties do not require thinning; see individual product descriptions for varieties that do. For baby-leaf production of ‘Tokyo Bekana’, see the Baby Leaf Brassica Greens culture.
SUCCESSION PLANTING: Sowing every 7-10 days will provide a continuous harvest of both budding/cutting and heading types.
INSECT PESTS: Controll by covering with floating row covers from the day of sowing.
HARVEST: Budding/cutting types (choi sum and gailan): harvest when the buds are just mature, or a few are just blooming. Multiple harvests are possible for these types. Heading types (celtuce, Chinese cabbage, and komatsuna): may be harvested from medium to full-size, depending on local market preferences. These types are suitable for single harvests.
AVG. SEEDING RATE: For bunching: 30g./275m, 500g/4000 metres at above spacing.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/30g: Avg. 13,200
BABY-LEAF PRODUCTION:
DIRECT SEEDING: Sow 6mm deep at 3–5 seeds/25mm, in rows at least 5cm apart from early spring into midsummer. Can be sown into late autumn if overwintering in a high tunnel or other protected structure.
RECOMMENDED JANG SEED ROLLER (baby leaf):
Mustard, Mizuna, Pac Choi, Tatsoi: Y-24 or X-24;
Chinese Cabbage, Kale, Komatsuna: X-24 or F-24.
Where multiple rollers are recommended, choosing a roller with a larger hole will increase the number of plants per 25mm. This creates longer petioles and somewhat slower-growing, narrower leaves for an extended baby leaf harvest. It will also wash out colour, hasten bolting, and increase the need for water and fertility. Choosing what works best for your system may take some trialing and adjustment.
SUCCESSION PLANTING: For a continuous supply, sow about every 2 weeks until 2–3 weeks before the first frost.
DISEASES & PESTS: Control flea beetles by applying fabric row cover at time of sowing and/or applying insecticides such as azadirachtin or pyrethrin. Cabbage worms and loopers can be controlled with Bacillus thuringiensis (Dipel). Prevent disease with crop rotation and sanitation.
HARVEST: Harvest with a knife or harvester when leaves reach desired size, about 75mm -150mm. Make sure to cut above the basal plate for cut-and-come-again harvests. Cut again when plants are at desired size, 5–14 days depending on variety and season.
AVG. SEEDING RATE: For Mizuna, Tatsoi, Komatsuna, and Pac Choi: 30g./75m, 500g./1000 metres. For Kale: 1,000 seeds/5m, 30g/30m, 500g./500 metres. For Mustard: 30g./80m, 500g/1.3km
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