Apartment Gardening: Regrow Bokchoy From Its Stalk

Gardening is pure Spa. Atleast for me on a Saturday and one where regrowing bokchoy or bokchoi from its scrap is involved. Dirt under my nails beats a fancy manicure by lengths and I am collecting experiences here on this earth and not praises, nor materials nor money. If my mother reads this, she will be really concerned as to why am I behaving like a hippie. But honestly, I think we have come to that point where sustainable living is of prime. I’m heading towards it with a happy Bokchoy!

Not so long ago the husband and I went shopping and picked up two bunch of Bokchoy: we love it in our oriental. The discussion was can we grow Bokchoy at home so we never have to buy it at an exorbitant price? I’ve heard Bokchoy is a winter crop and doesn’t thrive well in summer but it was worth a try.

I’ve read that Bokchoy is from the Celery family and practically regrows itself from its stalk or roots. All you need to do is cut out the leaves from the top leaving about 4″ stalk below. Fill a bowl with water {the level should reach half of the stalk} and place the stalk face up. Keep in partial shade for a week and your Bokchoy should start leafing. I followed instructions. BUT, this is what my Bokchoy looked like after 1 day. Yes, 1day.

I’ll have to tell this. I was so darn excited to see it really happening that I sort of went overboard with the word of mouth publicity. Everybody who knows me knows that I now have a Bokchoy plant in my house. I also became so very concerned about it that I think I almost killed it by over watering. The phenomenon of it growing almost magically was so very exciting and also satisfying for someone who is not so much known for having a green thumb. It’s cheat gardening at its best.

I let it sit there till I saw the outermost stalks catching a bit of brown before plonking it in a flower pot.

The best part of having a wee garden? The joy of snipping a leaf or two and the joy of knowing where your food comes from. Plus, you’ll see jolly eager volunteers taking part in your cooking where otherwise they give a ****. Like a little boy my husband tells me, “Please let me cut it” and then “It feels wonderful to have a kitchen garden”.

So much better than buying, right? But there are certain DO’s and DONTs here which I think should be told before you start growing your own Bokchoy:

DO’s

Partial Shade is the key is you are staying in a hot climate like ours {Im in Mumbai}

Well drained moist soil works best

On very hot summer evenings ice cold water works best

Harvest leaf in a week: in a climate like ours growth is faster. Start from the outer

DONT’s

Do not over water or your Bokchoy root will start to decay and smell

Do not keep your Bokchoy root completely under soil. I have done this bit wrong and lost it.

Talking from experience: If you do these things right, you should have an unending supply of Bokchoy and volunteers 🙂

I’ll be growing carrot greens, Mustard greens, garlic chives, Spring onions and Ive replanted some Bokchoy to see if it survives. I’ll be back next Saturday with plant updates. Till then, bask in the glory of being able to harness the power of the universe in one single leaf.

Take care!

Sharing at:

http://diyshowoff.com/2014/01/26/diy-party-time/

Monday

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/

make it pretty monday

Tuesday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – Tuesday’s Treasures
Coastal Charm – Nifty Thrifty

http://www.tinysidekick.com/makers-link-party-5/

Wednesday

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2014/04/wow-us-wednesdays-166.html

Thursday

Beyond the Picket Fence

From My Front Porch To Yours – Treasure Hunt Thursday

Friday

The Shabby Nest – Frugal Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Sunday

http://my1929charmer.com/sundays-best-58-par-tay/

 

 

 

 

• Apartment gardening
• Balcony Garden
• Grow bokchoy at home
• Kitchen Garden
• Regrow Bokchoy