Best Asian Vegetables

If you want to grow food that is both delicious and productive, look to the best Asian vegetables. These garden picks bring fresh flavors and unique textures right to your backyard. They are often fast-growing, adaptable, and perfect for adding variety to your meals. Many are also quite beautiful, making your garden as lovely as it is tasty.

Let’s get started with some of the easiest and most rewarding plants you can grow.

This list covers a range of leafy greens, crunchy stems, and flavorful roots. You’ll find options for spring, summer, and fall harvests.

Bok Choy (Pak Choi)

Bok choy is a must-grow. It forms lovely rosettes of dark green leaves with crisp, white stems. It’s a type of Chinese cabbage that dosen’t form a head.

Flavor & Use: Mild, slightly peppery taste. Great stir-fried, steamed, or added to soups raw.
Growing Tips: Prefers cool weather. Plant in early spring or late summer. It can bolt (flower) quickly in hot weather, so choose bolt-resistant varieties for summer.
Harvest: You can pick young leaves early or wait for the whole plant to mature, usually in 45-60 days.

Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)

This vegetable is all about the stems, flowers, and leaves. It produces thick, tender stalks with large, blue-green leaves and small flower buds.

Flavor & Use: Similar to broccoli, but more earthy and slightly bitter. The stems are the best part. Excellent blanched or in oyster sauce dishes.
Growing Tips: Very easy and hardy. It thrives in cool weather but handles heat better than bok choy. Direct seed in the garden.
Harvest: Cut the main stem when flower buds are just forming. Side shoots will continue to grow for a extended harvest.

Long Beans (Yardlong Beans)

These impressive beans can grow over a foot long. They are not actually a yard, but they are very long and slender.

Flavor & Use: Denser and more chewy than green beans. Hold their texture well in curries and stir-fries.
Growing Tips: They need a long, warm season and a strong trellis. They are vigorous climbers. Plant after all danger of frost has passed.
Harvest: Pick them when they are the diameter of a pencil and before the seeds inside bulge. Regular picking encourages more production.

Japanese Cucumbers (Kyuri)

These cucumbers are long, slender, and have thin, tender skin. They are virtually seedless and have a sweet, mild flavor.

Flavor & Use: Crisp and refreshing. Perfect for sunomono (vinegared salads), pickling, or eating fresh.
Growing Tips: They need consistent watering to avoid bitterness. Provide a sturdy trellis for straight fruit. They are prolific.
Harvest: Pick frequently when they are about 10-12 inches long. Overgrown fruits can become bitter.

Daikon Radish

Daikon is a large, white winter radish. It grows a substantial root that can be quite long or more round, depending on the variety.

Flavor & Use: Peppery and crisp when raw, becoming sweet and mild when cooked. Used in pickles, soups, stews, and braises.
Growing Tips: Prefers loose, deep soil so the root can expand easily. Best grown as a fall crop, as cool temperatures improve its flavor.
Harvest: Roots are ready in about 60 days. They can be left in the ground through light frosts, which makes them sweeter.

Mizuna

Mizuna is a feathery, leafy green that is both pretty and tasty. It forms a large rosette of deeply serrated leaves.

Flavor & Use: Has a mild, tangy mustard flavor. Wonderful in salads mixes or quickly wilted in a pan.
Growing Tips: Extremely cold-tolerant and slow to bolt. You can grow it in spring, fall, and even winter under protection.
Harvest: Use the “cut-and-come-again” method. Trim leaves about an inch above the soil, and it will regrow several times.

Thai Basil

This is not your standard sweet basil. Thai basil has purple stems, pointed leaves, and a distinctive aroma.

Flavor & Use: Strong anise or licorice flavor. Essential for Southeast Asian dishes like pho, curries, and stir-fries.
Growing Tips: Loves heat and full sun. Pinch off flower buds to encourage leafy growth. It’s a beautiful plant in the garden.
Harvest: Snip stems regularly to promote bushiness. You can dry or freeze the leaves for winter use.

Choy Sum (Flowering Cabbage)

Choy sum is grown for its tender flowering shoots. You eat the stalks, leaves, and yellow flowers all together.

Flavor & Use: Sweet and tender, with a flavor between mustard and spinach. Best simply steamed or stir-fried with garlic.
Growing Tips: Another cool-season crop. It grows quickly and is ready for harvest in about 40-50 days from seeding.
Harvest: Cut the entire central stem when the yellow flowers are just begining to open. Smaller side shoots will follow.

Edamame (Green Soybeans)

Edamame are immature soybeans harvested while the pods are still green and plump. They are a fun, protein-rich crop.

Flavor & Use: Nutty and buttery. Boiled in salted water and popped from the pods for a healthy snack.
Growing Tips: Need warm soil to germinate. Plant after the soil has warmed up. They fix their own nitrogen, so they don’t need much fertilizer.
Harvest: Pick when pods are bright green, plump, and fill the pod cavity. This is usually before they turn yellow.

Shishito Peppers

These small, thin-walled Japanese peppers are mostly mild, but about one in ten has a pleasant kick.

Flavor & Use: Sweet, slightly smoky. Fantastic blistered in a hot pan with oil and sea salt as a simple appetizer.
Growing Tips: Grow just like bell peppers. They need a long, warm growing season. Plants are very productive.
Harvest: Pick when peppers are about 3-4 inches long and still green. The more you pick, the more the plant produces.

Growing Success Tips

To get the most from your garden, follow these basic guidelines. They are simple but make a huge difference.

Soil Preparation

Most Asian vegetables thrive in well-drained soil rich in organic matter. A good start is key.

Add 2-3 inches of compost or aged manure to your garden bed before planting.
Ensure the soil is loose, especially for root crops like daikon. Raised beds are ideal.
Aim for a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0, which is slightly acidic to neutral.

Planting Timing

Many of these are cool-season crops. Getting the timing right prevents early bolting.

For spring: Sow seeds directly 2-4 weeks before your last frost date for greens like mizuna and bok choy.
For fall: Start seeds for daikon, Chinese broccoli, and mustards in mid-to-late summer for a autumn harvest.
For summer: Wait until soil is warm for long beans, edamame, cucumbers, and peppers.

Watering and Feeding

Consistent moisture is crucial for tender, non-bitter leaves and good root development.

Water deeply at the base of plants, aiming for about 1 inch of water per week.
Use a balanced organic fertilizer at planting. For heavy feeders like fruiting crops (cucumbers, beans), a mid-season side dressing of compost is helpful.
Mulch around plants with straw or shredded leaves to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

Pest Management

You might encounter a few common garden pests. Here’s how to handle them naturally.

Flea Beetles: They make tiny holes in leaves (especially on bok choy). Use floating row covers from day one to exclude them.
Cabbage Worms: The green caterpillars on brassicas. Check undersides of leaves and handpick. Row covers also prevent the moths from laying eggs.
Aphids: A strong spray of water from the hose can knock them off. Encourage ladybugs and lacewings, which are natural predators.

Step-by-Step: Planting a Asian Greens Salad Box

This is a perfect project for a patio or small space. You’ll have fresh salad mix for weeks.

Choose a Container: Find a window box or pot that is at least 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep. Ensure it has drainage holes.
Add Soil: Fill the container with a high-quality potting mix. Do not use garden soil, as it compacts in pots.
Select Seeds: Pick a mix of fast-growing greens like Mizuna, Tatsoi, and Red Mustard. You can also add some radish seeds for a quick root crop.
Sow the Seeds: Scatter the seeds evenly over the soil surface. Cover them lightly with a thin layer of more potting mix, about 1/4 inch deep.
Water Gently: Use a watering can with a fine rose to moisten the soil without washing the seeds away. Keep the soil consistently damp until seeds sprout.
Thin and Harvest: Once seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them so they aren’t crowded. You can eat the thinnings. Then, use scissors to cut leaves about an inch above the soil for “cut-and-come-again” harvests.

How to Store Your Harvest

Proper storage keeps your vegetables fresh and flavorful for as long as possible.

Leafy Greens (Bok Choy, Mizuna): Wash, spin dry, and store in a plastic bag with a dry paper towel in the fridge crisper drawer. They’ll last about a week.
Roots (Daikon): Remove the leafy tops (they draw moisture from the root). Store the unwashed root in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge for weeks.
Beans & Cucumbers: These are best eaten soon after harvest. Keep them in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Herbs (Thai Basil): Treat like cut flowers. Trim the stems and place in a glass of water on the counter, loosely covered with a bag. It doesn’t like cold fridge temperatures.

FAQ

What are some easy Asian vegetables to grow for beginners?
Bok choy, Chinese broccoli, and mizuna are fantastic starters. They germinate quickly, grow fast, and are relatively pest-resistant when compared to some other garden veggies.

Can I grow Asian vegetables in pots?
Absolutely. Many, like shishito peppers, Thai basil, and smaller varieties of bok choy, do very well in containers. Just make sure the pot is large enough and has good drainage.

Why did my bok choy flower before it got big?
This is called bolting. It’s usually triggered by a sudden change in temperature, especially warm weather. To prevent it, plant early in spring or in late summer for a fall crop, and choose bolt-resistant varieties.

Where can I find seeds for these plants?
Many local garden centers now carry a good selection. You can also order from specialty seed companies online that focus on Asian or international vegetable varieties. They often have the widest selection.

Are these vegetables good for health?
Yes, they are packed with nutrients. Dark leafy greens like choy sum provide vitamins A, C, and K. Daikon is a good source of vitamin C and digestive enzymes. Edamame offers complete plant-based protein.

Adding the best Asian vegetables to your garden opens up a world of new flavors and textures. They are reliable producers and often more disease-resistant than their western counterparts. Start with just one or two that sound good to you, and you’ll likely find yourself expanding your garden plot next season to make room for more. The fresh taste of homegrown gai lan or a freshly picked long bean is truly rewarding.