I'd be interested in your bok Choy. Look through my list and see if anything interests you. Or I can do postage.

Could it be gai lan, otherwise known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale? How would you describe it? Jim

Your assessments are correct. Kai lan/gai lan/Brassica oleracea is in the broccoli family so treat it as such. So they are a cool weather crop so plant for the fall or early spring. Yu Choy is also in the Brassica family but will not tolerate temps that are too cold. I wouldn't necessarily grow it in full sun in 90-100 degree weather either - at least not without afternoon shade. Yes, different varieties will do better in different environments. But as a general rule, both should do well in spring and fall. Check with your state's Extension Service. Each county should have it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They can also tell you the average last frost date for your area and ideal planting times for specific crops and varieties in your area. (Broccoli, for instance.) The following two images are excerpts from the Vegetable Planting and Planning Calendar for Missouri (download the pdf complete with spring and fall planting dates, how much to plant per person, etc. Just call up the office in your county. Look under the "Government" section (usually blue pages) of your phone book under "Extension". They will have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area from data they've collected from growing those crops in your state. Experiment, keep a journal, let us know how it goes. Violet

The quality oaf your images isn't very good because you're too close to want you're trying to photograph. The green caterpillars are most likely white cabbage moth. Handpick, flick into soapy water, or stomp. If you use Bt, the caterpillars MUST BE less than half grown. The large blotches are caused by leafminers. Again, regular patrols to spot the damage & ACT when you see it. This time, the critters are between the leaf surfaces. So when you see the beginning of a blotch, gently squish the critter(s) which are snacking beyond the reach of any pesticide you might spray at it.