said:

Sob! Very disappointed in my baby bok choy planting.

I put the seeds in I think around December -- maybe late November,
just before I left for 2 weeks in Morocco. Dammit - next time I will
keep better records.

Anyway, they grew fine, except that I didn't thin soon enough --
a continuing fault in my gardening.

They were still small when they suddenly went to seed.
This, in the middle of "winter" here in So. Calif.

This when my mesclun, planted months earlier, was still
doing fine.

(Our "winter" has been unusually weird. Usually the weather
here is very stable, but due to YOU KNOW WHAT there
have been spells of heat followed by spells of cold, and
finally some rain).

It is likely that the stress of being too closely planted combined with
the fluctuating temperatures caused them to bolt. Cool followed
by hot can trigger bolting.

Cabbage-y greens tend to be vulnerable to bolting after temperature
fluctuations, with some stages of growth being particularly susceptible
("seven leaf stage" pops into my head, but I couldn't quickly verify
that).

The mesclun mix (depending on what what in it) might be more
day-length sensitive when it comes to bolting.

Here are my q. to this Honorable Body:

Do any of you have experience with baby bok choy?
Especially people with similar climates.

Not a similar climate, but I only grow this as a fall crop. And I never
grow it sown directly in the ground, but always start it as transplants.
I set the plants into a 4x8 foot bed no closer than 10" in each direction.

(If I tried to grow this as a spring crop it would inevitably bolt.
And attract flea beetles in masses and swarms of cabbage butterflies
bent on reproduction.)

Are you supposed to actually pick the little plants when they are
still so small?

No, they will form substantial plants, though smaller than bok choy,
with flatter, greener stems and more oval leaves. As in this pictu

http://preview.tinyurl.com/bgfvy2

Which links to:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont.../img/v3/02-06-
2008.NF_06BokChoy1.G322B5BMG.1.jpg


What could have caused them to bolt so suddenly?

Stress from crowding.. Cool weather followed by hot weather.
Add in water stress, too.

Is "baby bok choy" really different from the veggies one
buys at the farmers markets? If so, how?

Baby bok choy I rarely see at markets here. It is not the same as
the large, white-stemmed bok choy. The shape, texture, and color
of the leaves and stems are distinctly different. Bok choy has a
sharper flavor, and baby bok choy more delicate and slightly sweeter.
(At least, the varieties I grow do.)

Baby bok choy I might steam whole leaves and small heads and serve
with oyster sauce.

I usually slice the stems of bok choy for stir-fry and add the chopped
greens to the dish at the last minute, or use the green parts in soup.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

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