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Asian Greens / Brassica Greens · Cool-season greens

Red Tatsoi

Gardyn

Spring
Red Tatsoi — Young Young
Seedling / just planted

Young tatsoi seedlings with a few rounded leaves growing in a container of soil.

Generic green tatsoi (Brassica rapa var. narinosa) seedlings; no photo of the red/purple-leaved tatsoi variant was found.

Photo: david silver from san francisco· CC BY-SA 2.0

Red Tatsoi — Growing Growing
Established, filling in

A garden bed of tatsoi plants at various half-grown sizes, rosettes forming but not yet flat and full.

Generic green tatsoi; species-level shot, not a red-leaved cultivar.

Photo: Indonesiagood· CC BY 3.0

Red Tatsoi — Full grown Full grown
What you’re aiming for

A fully grown tatsoi plant forming its characteristic flat, dark-green rosette in a garden bed.

Generic green tatsoi rosette; not a red/purple-leaved cultivar.

Photo: Indonesiagood· CC BY 3.0

Growing stages

What to look for, and what to do, at each point in its life

Red Tatsoi is a cold-hardy, red-tinged mainstay for Decatur's Zone 8a, sown in September for a winter-long harvest under light cover and again in February-March before spring heat pushes it to bolt.

  1. 1

    Sowing

    Early-mid September (fall crop) or mid-February to early March (spring crop)

    You'll see Seeds are tiny, round, and dark reddish-brown, showing nothing above ground for 4-7 days.

    Do Direct sow 1/4 inch deep and keep the soil surface consistently moist until sprouting.

  2. 2

    Seedling

    Days 4-16 after sowing

    You'll see Round seed leaves appear first, then spoon-shaped true leaves that show red-purple pigment developing on the leaf surface as they form a tight, flat rosette.

    Do Thin to 6-8 inches apart, and watch for flea beetle shot-holes.

  3. 3

    Cut-and-come-again or whole-plant harvest

    Starting 25-30 days after sowing for baby leaves, 40-45 days for a full flat rosette

    You'll see The rosette spreads flat and wide, 8-12 inches across, with glossy spoon-shaped leaves ranging from deep maroon to purple-green depending on temperature.

    Do Harvest outer leaves as needed, or cut the whole rosette at the base.

  4. 4

    Bolting

    Late spring, typically April-May, once daylength lengthens and temperatures push past 70-75°F

    You'll see A central stalk shoots up from the flat rosette, leaves turn narrow, and small yellow four-petaled flowers cluster at the top.

    Do Harvest what remains before leaves turn bitter, then pull the plant or let one flower for pollinators and seed.

  5. 5

    Seed saving

    4-8 weeks after bolting, once seed pods dry from green to brown

    You'll see Flower stalks turn from yellow blooms to slim, brown, brittle pods that rattle with seed when dry.

    Do Cut dry seed stalks into a paper bag, finish drying, then crush and winnow to collect seed.

Techniques — transplant, prune, propagate, divide, seed

Sun

Full sun to part shade; cool weather.

Water

Consistent moisture.

Spacing

Hydro pods / tight in-ground spacing.

Feeding

Steady light feeding.

Care

  • Cool-season crops — spring and fall windows; they bolt in summer heat.
  • Wasabina mustard + tatsoi run permanently indoors in the 2nd hydro unit.
  • Giant Red + Southern Green mustard run outdoors in the wooden structure.

Harvest

Cut-and-come-again; harvest outer leaves.

Watch for

Bolting in heat; aphids/flea beetles.