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Sign up freeBrassica oleracea var. alboglabra
Chinese broccoli — eaten for thick stems, leaves, and tiny flower buds. Slightly bitter, robust flavour. Cool-season crop. Cut main stem for side shoots.
Brassica rapa var. parachinensis
vegetable
A fellow Brassicaceae — similar growing habits to Gai Lan
Start Gai Lan indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 60 days.
Gai Lan seed rarely stays viable beyond 4 years — track what's still worth sowing.
Water: Medium · Height: 45 cm · Soil: Rich, moist, slightly alkaline
Coccinellidae
The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.
Aleyrodidae
A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.
These three thrive alongside Gai Lan — and alongside each other.
