Tatsoi is a delicious nutrient rich Asian green that can be used in stir fries and salads or simply lightly steamed or sautéed and tossed with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Its attractive round crinkled leaves can also be used as a peppery spinach or silverbeet substitute. Tatsoi is perfect for growing at home as it's compact and fast growing, providing an ongoing supply of delicious leaves over many weeks.
Here's how to grow your very own tatsoi from Yates® Tatsoi Spoon Mustard seed:
- Pick a spot in full sun or part shade, out in the vegie patch or in containers.
- Sow seed 6 mm deep direct where the tatsoi is to grow and cover with Yates Seed Raising Mix.
- Give each plant around 30 cm of space to grow.
- Firm down and keep the soil or potting mix moist. Seedlings will emerge in around 5 days.
- Feed tatsoi plants each week with Yates Thrive® Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food, which is a complete and balanced plant fertiliser that is rich in nitrogen to promote lots of healthy green leaf growth.
- You can start picking tender young tatsoi leaves from around 3 weeks. The plants will continue togrow and can be repeat harvested. Continuous picking will help promote fresh new leaf growth.
- Sow additional tatsoi seed every few weeks between spring and autumn so you have an ongoing supply.
Pest watch: like other brassica vegies, tatsoi can be attacked by caterpillars and aphids. Protect tatsoi plants with Yates Pyrethrum Insect Pest Gun, which contains pyrethrin, which is a natural extract from the pyrethrum daisy. Spray tatsoi plants each week, including the undersides of foliage where pests often hide, while caterpillars and aphids, or their damage, are noticed.