Growing Five Leafy Vegetables

How well do you know your leafy vegetables?

This term generally refers to the leaves or roots of food crops, such as Kailan, Kale, Lettuce and Sweet Potato. Leafy vegetables can often be harvested in a short time period, making it ideal for impatient first-time gardeners to try to cultivate! In fact, from seed to harvest, these edibles below take only three weeks to three and a half months to grow.

Learn more about five leafy vegetables:

Kailan (Brassica oleracea)

Photo credit: Jennie Tang
Kailan is grown throughout Southeast Asia. It is a herbaceous annual which means it dies completely at the end of its growing season. Kailan takes three to five days to germinate, and from between 21 to 55 days to be ready for harvest.

Belonging to the Alboglabra group, this plant grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering and can be propagated by seeds. Although Kailan and Broccoli are different varieties of the same species, when used in cooking, their flavours are very similar. However, most people find Kailan to be slightly more bitter. The leaves and stems are boiled, steamed or stir-fried.

Chinese Mustard (Brassica juncea)

Photo credit: Vicky Lim Yen Ngoh

Chinese Mustard is a herbaceous annual. It takes three to five days to germinate, and about 40 days to be ready for harvest.

This plant grows best in well-draining soil, requiring full sun and moderate watering. It can be propagated by seeds. The entire plant can be eaten, from its flower to its roots and seeds. The leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked. The seeds are used in curries and pickles and oil extracted from the seeds is used as mustard flavouring!

Caixin (Brassica rapa)

Photo credit: Jacqueline Chua
Belonging to the Parachinensis group, Caixin is a herbaceous annual. While it takes three to
five days to germinate, you will need to wait about 30 to 40 days for the plant to be ready for harvest.

Growing best in well-draining soil, Caixin requires full sun and moderate watering. It can be propagated by seeds but the seeds should be dried for at least a week before sowing. You can choose to eat its leaves raw, stir-fried, lightly boiled or steamed. The mild flavour of the crunchy stems and soft leaves make Caixin a good match for many different foods.

Kang Kong (Ipomoea aquatica)

Ipomoea aquatica _Shi Biying Photo credit: Shi Biying

A member of the Morning Glory family, Kang Kong is a creeper. It is in the same genus as the Sweet Potato and takes about three days to germinate, and about 21 days to be ready for harvest.

This plant grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering and can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings. The leaves and stems are eaten raw, blanched or stir-fried.

Xiao Bai Cai (Brassica rapa)

Photo credit: Jacqueline Chua
Also known as Bok Choy, Xiao Bai Cai is a herbaceous annual that belongs to the Chinensis group. You can find two common varieties of this plant – one with green stems and another with white stems. It takes about three days to germinate, and 40 to 45 days to be ready for harvest.

Xiao Bai Cai grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering and can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings. Its leaves are eaten boiled, blanched, or stir-fried. The green-stemmed variety has a milder flavour, with more tender leaves and less juicy stems than the white-stemmed variety.

Learning More

Visit NParksSG, our refreshed YouTube channel that serves as a one-stop repository for some 300 video resources. It covers topics ranging from types of soil needed for your garden and how to plant, harvest and even cook your edibles.

For more information about the flora and fauna found in Singapore, visit NParks Flora and Fauna Web.

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Text compiled by Felix Siew

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Growing Five Leafy Vegetables

National Parks Board