Little Shanghai
Brassica rapa var. chinensis
Wikimedia Commons
A baby pac choi that is truly proportional at mini size. Uniform, stout plants with green leaves and petioles. Shorter plant with a wider frame than Li Ren Choi. Good for direct seeding or transplanting. Slow bolting.
Harvest
37d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Zones
5–9
USDA hardiness
Height
3 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Little Shanghai in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 lettuce →Zone Map
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Little Shanghai · Zones 5–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | June – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | June – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | April – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | April – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | March – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | February – December |
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | July – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | June – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
Succession Planting
Direct sow Little Shanghai every 14 days starting March 1 in zone 7, and keep going through late April. At 37 days to harvest, you can pull your first planting right as the second one hits full size. Stop sowing once daytime highs are consistently above 80°F — bok choy bolts fast in heat, and the leaves turn bitter and tough before you get to them. Pick back up with a late-summer run starting around August 15, sowing every 2 weeks through mid-September for fall harvests that stretch into November.
The fall window is often the cleaner one anyway. Flea beetle pressure drops as temperatures cool, and the plants size up without the bolt risk. In zones 5 or 6, shift both windows about 2–3 weeks later in spring and earlier in fall to account for the shorter frost-free period.
Complete Growing Guide
A baby pac choi that is truly proportional at mini size. Uniform, stout plants with green leaves and petioles. Shorter plant with a wider frame than Li Ren Choi. Good for direct seeding or transplanting. Slow bolting. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Little Shanghai is 37 days to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1). Notable features: Cold Tolerant.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Little Shanghai reaches harvest at 37 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Spring, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Harvest Little Shanghai at 37 days and refrigerate immediately in a perforated plastic bag or breathable container at 32–40°F with 95% humidity. The tender leaves will keep fresh for 5–7 days under these conditions. For longer preservation, blanch whole heads for 2–3 minutes, cool in ice water, then freeze in airtight bags for up to 8 months; this method retains better texture than raw freezing. Fermentation works well too—quarter the heads, salt generously, and pack into jars under their own brine for a tangy condiment ready in 3–5 days. Drying is less practical given the high water content, though dehydrator chips make an unusual snack. Little Shanghai's compact size means entire heads fit neatly in standard freezer containers, minimizing waste and handling damage compared to larger Asian greens.
History & Origin
Little Shanghai is an F1 hybrid developed through controlled cross-pollination. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.
Advantages
- +Truly proportional mini size makes it ideal for small-space gardeners
- +Slow bolting tendency allows extended harvest window in warm seasons
- +Uniform, stout plants simplify harvesting and create consistent presentation
- +Easy difficulty rating makes it beginner-friendly with minimal care required
- +Works well for direct seeding or transplanting, offering flexible planting options
Considerations
- -Mini size limits total yield per plant compared to full-sized varieties
- -Shorter, wider frame may require closer spacing, reducing density potential
- -Baby pac choi typically has delicate leaves prone to pest damage
Companion Plants
Radishes and carrots are the most practical companions for Little Shanghai. Radishes germinate in 5–7 days and break up the top inch of soil crust, which helps bok choy seedlings push through — and you'll pull the radishes around day 30, well before they start competing for the 6–8 inches of spacing this variety needs. Carrots sit at roughly the same root depth and don't crowd the shallow feeding zone. Chives and garlic are worth tucking at the row ends: the sulfur compounds they release confuse aphids, which are a persistent problem on brassica leaves in spring and can transmit bacterial pathogens when populations get out of hand. Marigolds — specifically Tagetes patula — earn a spot at the bed edges because their root exudates suppress soil nematodes in the genus Meloidogyne, which NC State disease diagnostics flag as a root pest on brassicas.
Fennel releases allelopathic compounds from its roots that stunt most vegetables within a few feet, and Little Shanghai is no exception — give it its own bed entirely. Broccoli is the subtler mistake: it's in the same Brassica family, so planting it right next to bok choy concentrates clubroot pressure and doubles up the flea beetle habitat in one spot. Spread your brassicas across the garden rather than clustering them.
Plant Together
Chives
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor while taking minimal space
Carrots
Deep roots don't compete with shallow lettuce roots, helps break up soil
Radishes
Quick-growing companion that loosens soil and deters flea beetles
Marigolds
Repels aphids, whiteflies, and nematodes that commonly attack lettuce
Spinach
Similar growing requirements and can be succession planted together
Garlic
Natural pest deterrent against aphids and slugs that damage lettuce
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, edible flowers
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs that control lettuce pests
Parsley
Attracts beneficial insects and doesn't compete for nutrients
Keep Apart
Broccoli
Large leaves create too much shade and compete heavily for nutrients
Sunflowers
Allelopathic compounds inhibit lettuce germination and growth
Fennel
Strong allelopathic properties that stunt growth of most vegetables including lettuce
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #2346388)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Cabbage worms, flea beetles, aphids, slugs
Diseases
Downy mildew, bacterial leaf spot, clubroot
Troubleshooting Little Shanghai
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapse at soil level within the first 1–2 weeks after direct sowing, sometimes with a fuzzy whitish mold on the soil surface nearby
Likely Causes
- Damping off — typically Pythium or Rhizoctonia solani — a fungal complex that thrives in cold, wet, compacted soil
- Overwatering or poor drainage keeping the root zone saturated after germination
What to Do
- 1.Pull the dead seedlings and check the surviving ones' roots — if they're brown and soft at the base, damping off is your culprit
- 2.Don't re-sow into the same spot until you've amended with compost and improved drainage; raised beds dry out faster and are worth the effort here
- 3.Water in the morning so the soil surface dries before nightfall, and thin to at least 6 inches so air can move between plants
Pale yellow angular patches on upper leaf surfaces with grayish-purple fuzzy growth on the undersides, usually showing up in cool, humid weather
Likely Causes
- Downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica) — a water mold that spreads fast when nights are cool and leaves stay wet
- Overhead irrigation or dense plantings that prevent leaves from drying
What to Do
- 1.Remove and trash (not compost) any visibly infected leaves immediately — the spores spread by air
- 2.Switch to drip irrigation or water at the base; keep water off the foliage entirely if you can
- 3.Little Shanghai is a hybrid with decent vigor, but if downy mildew hits hard two seasons in a row in the same bed, rotate that bed out of brassicas for at least 2 years
Small, water-soaked spots on leaves that turn tan or brown with a yellow halo, sometimes with bacterial ooze in humid conditions — often appearing after a spell of rain
Likely Causes
- Bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae or Xanthomonas campestris) — enters through wounds, stomata, or insect feeding damage
- Flea beetle feeding punching entry points into the leaf, combined with wet weather
What to Do
- 1.Scout the undersides of leaves for flea beetles — the tiny 1/16-inch black beetles that jump when disturbed — and apply kaolin clay or row cover before they chew through the outer leaves
- 2.Avoid working the bed when foliage is wet; bacterial pathogens move easily on tools and water splash
- 3.Strip off badly spotted outer leaves at harvest and discard; the inner leaves are usually fine to eat
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Little Shanghai lettuce take to harvest?▼
Is Little Shanghai lettuce good for beginners?▼
Can you grow Little Shanghai in containers?▼
What does Little Shanghai lettuce taste like?▼
How should I space Little Shanghai plants?▼
When should I plant Little Shanghai pac choi?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.