Cool-season produce

Napa cabbage

Brassica rapa Pekinensis Group

Also known as Chinese cabbage · Peking cabbage

A tender, elongated Chinese cabbage. Avoid heat-stressed starts and harvest while the head is tight.

EdibleCool-season crop

Growing spaceVegetable bed

Climate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Crop familyBrassicaceae (mustard)

Life cycleAnnual crop

Phoenix planting windowSeptember–January; autumn is the strongest window.

How to plantDirect sow or transplant into cooler weather.

Plant spacing12–18 in

FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.

Time to harvestAbout 45 days from transplants; 70–80 from seed

SuccessionSow modest batches in fall.

Special categoriesEDIBLE

Typical harvestFall through winter heads.

Right plant, right place

Will Napa cabbage grow at your Arizona property?

A tender, elongated Chinese cabbage. Avoid heat-stressed starts and harvest while the head is tight.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Full winter sun; give leafy crops afternoon protection during warm fall and spring weather.

Water

Keep the vegetable root zone evenly moist with regular irrigation; adjust to rain, soil, and temperature rather than using a fixed summer schedule.

Planting & stewardship

1
Prepare a fertile, well-drained bed and keep seed or transplants evenly moist through establishment.
2
Thin to the final spacing; crowding reduces harvest quality.
3
Watch for aphids and caterpillars and protect sensitive growth from a hard freeze.
4
Harvest before sustained spring heat causes bolting or poor quality.

Read the growing reference ↗ Planting dates can shift with cultivar, weather, and your yard’s microclimate.