This is such a confusing old thread that I can understand how it just generates more questions and how there is probably a reluctance by some to step in with any answers. Let me just say what I do: I grow bok choy each year and try to have it for as much of the growing season as possible. That means I sow seed and resow seed. I move plants around first out of the greenhouse and also where the bok choy seedlings are a little too crowded in a seed bed. Bok choy seems to bolt fairly easily. I think it bolts when it is stressed by too much cold just as it does when conditions are hot and dry. There is probably only a fairly narrow window when its growth is optimum but this doesn't mean it is unusable all the rest of the season! As far as treating it as a cut-and-come-again when harvesting leaves: I've never done that and I've grown bok choy for a good 20 years. The flower buds are a different story, however. Sure, if it would take a half dozen of your plants to make a fork-full and the plants are already bolting - you haven't got much going in the bok choy patch. But, if your baby bok choy is as big around as your wrist and it starts to send a flower stalk up - get that and bring it into the kitchen! Even if the little yellow flowers have started to open -- to me, that flower stalk is the sweetest part of the plant and is often, plenty tender! It would be a shame, to my way of thinking, to throw that plant in the compost. The lower leaves, however, are probably too tough to enjoy. But, if you've got 1 good-sized flower stalk, chances are, you will get a couple more off that plant in a few days. Of course, they will be smaller. Yes, tender little bok choy leaves are great. And, if they have begun to bolt - their season is coming to an end. All the more reason to have seed going in the ground just about every week. You may have to take a month or 2 off from sowing bok choy seed but get back to it as the temperatures begin to drop in late summer. Bok choy makes a fine fall crop here and probably where you garden, also. Steve

I found this on a site......does it help you figure out when in your area? I think the photoperiod info is the most useful. Climatic requirements. Average temperatures of 55°-70° F (13-21° C) are favorable. Temperatures above 75° F (24° C) may cause some burning of the tips and prolonged temperatures below 55° F (13° C) can cause premature bolting. Bok choy is also very sensitive to photoperiods for flowering. Long days (16 hour days for a month) induce flowering in some cultivars. Short days and warm temperatures keep the plant in the vegetative phase. I'll give you some info about what happened with mine this year. First of all I planted a baby bok choy because somewhere I found info that it took heat better. Next we had a strange spring and I didn't get it into the ground until late April......that means the days are pretty long and warm here. It grew fast and didn't bolt....I think it's because it never got under 55 degrees the whole time and it got confused about not having a cool period. Sorry I haven't really given you any local info but it might help you figure out how it gets the signal to bolt. Good luck.....I'll be trying some this fall so maybe next year we can trade results.

Hi Violet I don't know if I received hybrid seeds. They were given to me by an ex-neighbour. So far it appears the seeds are producing the plants I'm expecting ie. choy sum and baby bok choy (with the greenish not whitish stems). It's my first time growing Chinese vegies so don't know a great deal about them. I have noticed that the seeds are producing two species of choy sum, I think: one has fine furry hairs on the leaves (top and underside) which are rather prickly. The other is the one with the yellow flowers that is commonly sold. I've been discarding the first species as I wasn't keen on eating prickly leaves. Thanks for the links. The info is very useful! Assuming that the few mature seeds (brown not green) that I've planted develop into seedlings, I'll find out then if they are hybrids of some sort. Cheers Joseph

I love bok choy and have all kinds of recipes. About the only thing I don't use it in is dessert! Here are some, mainly Asian, but not all. Braised Baby Bok Choy Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine 2 cups chicken broth 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy, trimmed 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil Pepper, to taste Bring broth and butter to a simmer in a deep large heavy skillet. Arrange bok choy evenly in skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy with tongs to a serving dish and keep warm, covered. Boil broth mixture until reduced to about 1/2 cup, then stir in sesame oil and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over bok choy. Stir-fried baby bok choy Total time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 Note: From Vicki Fan. Baby bok choy is available at many local farmers markets and Asian markets. Use the smallest baby bok choy you can find, about 2 1/2 inches long if possible. If larger, cut them in half lengthwise. Keep a saucepan of simmering water or chicken or vegetable stock on the stove, to add to the bok choy while cooking. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon minced ginger 12 baby bok choy, whole (trimmed) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1. Heat a wok over medium-high heat, add the canola oil and swirl the wok around to coat the pan. Heat until you see a wisp of smoke. Add the garlic and ginger and quickly stir fry for just a few seconds, stirring with chopsticks. 2. Add the bok choy and stir to coat. Add 2 tablespoons hot water and cover. Let the bok choy steam about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a few times and checking to make sure the vegetables don't burn. Add a little more water if necessary and a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Bok Choy with Sauteed Mushrooms and Shallots If you've never tried bok choy, this recipe is a good place to start. 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms 2 shallots, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 1/2 pounds bok choy, rinsed and chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoons "lite" soy sauce 1 teaspoon lemon zest Freshly ground pepper to taste In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and stir-fry until mushrooms darken, about 5 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry for about 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Sprinkle with soy sauce, lemon zest and pepper, to taste. Serves 4. Adapted from "The New American Plate: Veggies," by the American Institute for Cancer Research Roasted Roots With Winter Greens Makes 8 servings This recipe, which makes good use of winter vegetables, comes from Shari Sirkin of Dancing Roots Farm in Troutdale. She encourages cooks to vary the ingredients -- it can be made with all of the vegetables in the recipe or just one or two. She makes a big batch on the weekends, providing lots of healthy leftovers for the week. 2 pounds potatoes, cut into large pieces 6 medium carrots, cut into large pieces 4 medium parsnips, cut into large pieces 4 medium rutabagas, peeled and cut into large pieces 4 medium turnips, cut into large pieces Olive oil 3 large beets, cut into large pieces Salt and freshly milled black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, summer savory or thyme, or a mixture 1 large onion, chopped 4 cups thickly sliced greens, such as collards, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, spinach or arugula 11/2 to 2 cups crumbled feta cheese Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and turnips in 1 or 2 large roasting pans; toss them with olive oil to coat lightly. In a separate pan, toss the beets with a little olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and your choice of herbs to all the vegetables. Roast for about 1 hour or until the roots are tender. When the roots are almost done, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it is soft. Add the greens and 1/4 cup water; cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are just tender and still bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. To serve, place a large scoop of roasted roots on an individual plate; top with a large helping of greens and 3 to 4 tablespoons crumbled feta. -- Adapted from "Recipes From America's Small Farms: Fresh Ideas for the Season's Bounty" by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein Grilled Pork and Mango Salad with Warm Asian Greens From "Sensational Salads" by Barbara Scott-Goodman. cup fresh mint leaves ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced 1 tablespoon brown sugar ½ cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla) 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil 2 pounds center-cut boneless pork cutlets or chops, about ½ -inch thick 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thickly sliced 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil 1 head bok choy, trimmed and coarsely chopped ½ pound baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil Dash of hot sauce 4 scallions, trimmed and minced, for garnish In a food processor, combine the mint, cilantro, basil, garlic, pepper, sugar, lime juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil and pulse until well combined. The marinade can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Put the pork in a shallow nonreactive pan. Pour the marinade over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, turning occasionally. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. When it's medium-hot (coals are covered with a light coating of ash and glow deep red), grill the pork, 4 to 5 minutes per side, for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. At the same time, grill the mango slices until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let the pork and mango cool for a few minutes. Cut the pork into ¼ -inch slices and dice the mango; set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the bok choy and stir-fry over medium-high heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and stir-fry until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the greens to a large platter or individual plates. Top the greens with the pork slices and diced mango. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Drizzle over the pork and mango. Garnish with scallions and serve at once. Serves 6. Vietnamese-Style Beef and Noodle Broth Makes 6 servings 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 pound beef flank steak, very thinly sliced against the grain 4 cups chopped bok choy (about 1 pound) 1 2- to 3-inch piece unpeeled fresh ginger, sliced 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth 8 ounces wide rice noodles 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 11/2 cups fresh bean sprouts 4 tablespoons chopped basil, or to taste 4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Lime wedges Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or large soup pot over high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring often, until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate using tongs, leaving the juices in the pot. Add bok choy to the pot and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and broths; cover and bring to a boil. Add noodles and soy sauce; simmer until the noodles are soft, about 4 minutes. Return the beef to the pot and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with bean sprouts, basil, green onions and cilantro. Top with lime wedges. -- Adapted from Eating Well April/May 2005 MAPLE-SOY GLAZED SALMON with GINGERED BOK CHOY from Cook's Illustrated serves 4 time: 25 minutes ½ C maple syrup ¼ C soy sauce 1 Tabsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tabsp plus 1 tsp veg. oil 1 large head bok choy (about 2 lbs) root end removed, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces 4 center-cut salmon fillets (each about 6 ounces and 1¼ inches thick) remove pin bones and pat dry 2 tsp sesame seeds Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position and a second rack to the upper middle position. Heat oven to 500° Bring the maple syrup and soy sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to ½ cup, 8-9 min. Meanwhile, combine the grated ginger and 1 tabsp oil in a large bowl. Add the bok choy, ¼ tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Spread the bok choy on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Grease a second rimmed baking sheet with the remaining 1 tsp oil and position the salmon fillets, skin side down, on the sheet, with at least 1 inch between them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the bok choy on the lower oven rack and the salmon on the upper oven rack. Cook for 5 min, then pull the salmon from the oven and spread a thick layer of the maple glaze over each fillet, top and sides. Use a pastry brush. Return to the oven. Continue to cook until the bok choy leaves are wilted, stems tender and the salmon is firm to the touch, about 3 min. longer. Transfer bok choy to a platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Brush the fillets with another layer of glaze and transfer to individual plates. Serve immediately, with any remaining glaze. I have more if there's something in particular you'd like to try. The idea of a search is also a very good one, especially sites like epicurious, which provide cooks' ratings for many recipes. Carol