Easy Asian Greens

Mizuna, gai lan, tatsoi, pak choi - just the names themselves are transporting. These leafy vegetables are fast and easy to grow, flourish almost all year round and are delicious and healthy. What more could you ask from a plant?

- JANE GRIFFITHS

What are Asian greens?

Hardy Asian greens come in a wide selection of colours and textures. Most are from the cabbage family and do better during cooler weather. They grow all year round but do go to seed more quickly during hotter weather. Many produce miniature, tasty broccoli-like buds. Unlike lettuce, which turns bitter when it bolts, Asian greens' leaves are edible when flowering. During hotter weather, they become tougher and more pungent, and are better cooked than raw. The bright yellow flowers attract bees and butterflies and, if left to mature, the plant will seed itself. All parts of the plants are edible, including the flowers and seeds.

Growing