When to Plant Pak Choy (Bok Choy) in Alice Springs, Arid / Semi-Arid Guide
Sow March to September. Right now in October it is out of season. The next sowing month is March.
Grow Pak Choy in your space
Also called bok choy, pak choi, buk choy.
- Planting window
- Sow from March to August and plant out up to September. It bolts once the weather heats up, and caterpillars need watching.
- Days to harvest
- 35 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade essential in warm zones to prevent bolting.
- Water needs
- Consistent moisture critical. Water deeply every 2-3 days. Drought stress triggers...
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 35cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.5
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Pak Choy (Bok Choy) guide is written for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, which takes in Alice Springs, Broken Hill and Port Augusta. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pak choy (also spelled bok choy, pak choi) is a fast-growing, non-heading Chinese cabbage with thick, crisp stems and dark green leaves. It matures in 5-7 weeks, making it one of the quickest brassica crops. Available in standard white-stemmed, green-stemmed (Shanghai), baby, and purple varieties. Essential in Asian cooking and increasingly popular in Australian home gardens.
See what grows now in your own postcode
Planting Calendar for Arid / Semi-Arid
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | S/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | T | - | - | - |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 24.4°C (optimal range: 10–25°C) ✓ Ready to plant
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Alice Springs), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like
In October the Arid / Semi-Arid zone normally runs 32°C by day and 16°C overnight, with about 19 mm of rain over 2 or 3 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was 1.9°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 10 postcodes, SILO.
How to Grow Pak Choy (Bok Choy) in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
When to Plant
Sow from March to August and plant out up to September. It bolts once the weather heats up, and caterpillars need watching.
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost and aged manure. Needs moisture-retentive but not waterlogged soil.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade essential in warm zones to prevent bolting.
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 35cm between rows
- Watering
- Consistent moisture critical. Water deeply every 2-3 days. Drought stress triggers bolting. Drip irrigation ideal. Morning watering preferred.
Companion plants: Celery, Onion, Chamomile, Dill, Marigold
Avoid planting near: Other brassicas if disease present, Strawberry
Grow before, grow after
Pak Choy belongs with the brassicas, the leafy greens and brassicas turn of a four turn bed rotation.
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Pak Choy (Bok Choy)
Recommended Varieties
- Baby Bok Choy
- Shanghai Green
Key Challenges
- Bolts in heat
- High water demand for a leafy crop
- Dry air
Pro Tips
- Shade cloth (30-50%) extends growing season
- Drip irrigation essential
- Baby types mature faster and need less water investment
Harvesting Pak Choy (Bok Choy)
When ready: Baby bok choy: 15-20cm tall (4-5 weeks). Full size: 25-35cm with thick, firm stems (6-8 weeks). Stems should snap crisply when bent.
How to harvest: Cut entire plant at soil level with sharp knife. Or harvest outer leaves/stems individually for cut-and-come-again. Harvest in cool of morning.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Pak Choy (Bok Choy)
When do you plant pak choy in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Feb to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Feb to Oct
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Feb to May, Aug to Oct
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Feb to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Sep
- Mediterranean (Perth): Feb to Sep
Does pak choy grow all year round in Alice Springs?
No. In the Arid / Semi-Arid zone the planting months are Mar to Sep. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
What else is pak choy called?
Pak choy is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it bok choy, pak choi, buk choy. Same plant, same growing advice.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, Alice Springs is its reference city.