Blue Star Organic Gai Lan

Nature & Nurture Seeds

Brassica oleraceae var 'alboglabra'

$5.49

Pkt(≈100 seeds)
Certified Organic
45 days.  Gai Lan is an essential and beloved vegetable in Chinese and Thai culinary traditions. It’s easy to grow and tastes great! Plants are harvested whole, similar to but larger than broccoli raab/rapini, with thick edible stems, leaves and flower buds. Being from tropical Asia, most Gai Lans grow poorly in northern latitudes but, after extensive trialing, we are happy to offer Blue Star, which is fast growing and performs very well. Plant it anytime spring through late summer. Harvest once or grow it as a cut-and-come-again vegetable. Blue Star is very cold hardy, surviving winter temperatures in our hoophouse down to 0°. It is endowed with the tastes of broccoli with a bit of a mustardy zing. It makes a great veg dish - simply stir-fry whole with sesame oil, tamari, fish sauce, and garlic.

Sow seeds outside 4/15-8/15 directly into garden soil seeds spaced 2” apart in rows spaced 18” apart. Keep seeds evenly moist until germination. Protect young seedlings from slugs by using Sluggo. Thin plants to 8” apart. Alternatively, start gai lan seeds indoors 4/1 at 77°.  Days to germination: 5-8 days. Don’t let plants become potbound in their pots. Transplant outside 5/1, 8” apart. Gai lan plants needs consistent water throughout the growing season. Protect plants from deer, groundhogs, and rabbits which will devour them. Gai lan plants may be eaten by caterpillars. If they cause damage, hand remove caterpillars or spray organic BT.