This flavorful broccoli-like green vegetable – also known as gai lan, kailaan, or Chinese kale – is simple to grow and only takes a couple of months from seed to harvest.

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The best part is that the leaves, florets, and stalks are all edible, and delicious!

Continue reading to learn all about growing Chinese broccoli in your garden.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

What Is Chinese Broccoli?

This perennial leafy green is typically grown as an annual, and is suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 2 through 10.

Tolerant of heat as well as mild frosts, it can be planted in spring and summer in cooler climates, and over the winter in Zones 9 and 10.

Gai lan is a brassica family plant that’s similar in appearance and flavor to broccoli, though slightly more bitter.

It has a central fleshy stalk, flat and glossy blue-green leaves, and small florets that emerge from the center.

All parts of the plant are edible. The young flowering shoots and small leaves may be eaten both raw and cooked. It is often served as a wilted greens side dish in Chinese cuisine.

Cultivation and History

Gai lan is one of the most common vegetables consumed across China and Southeast Asia.

Its similarities to broccoli and other brassicas indicate that it was likely developed in cultivation over time through selection from cole crops brought to Asia by early Portuguese explorers.

It is now widely available at specialty markets across the world, though you probably won’t find it in your typical US grocery store.