Variety field guide
What to expect from Maruba Santoh Round Seeds
Maruba Santoh Round offers tender, rounded green leaves and juicy white stalks without waiting for a tight cabbage head.
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Maruba Santoh Round offers tender, rounded green leaves and juicy white stalks without waiting for a tight cabbage head. The mild flavor works in fresh salads, quick stir-fries and warming soups, while its soft texture suits gentle cooking. This Japanese loose-leaf selection grows quickly and is useful for repeated small sowings. Pick young leaves for a delicate salad green or let the rosette fill out for a larger kitchen harvest.
Minimum seeds per packet: 100 seeds.
Tender leaves and crisp stems, ready in a short season.
Growing facts
- Botanical name: Brassica rapa
- Maturity or display: 30-40 days
- Mature size: Loose leafy rosette; size varies with harvest stage
- Spacing: 12 in between plants; rows 18 in
About the variety
Maruba Santoh Round is a Japanese loose-leaf Chinese cabbage with rounded leaves and crisp white stalks. Its open rosette provides a quick leafy harvest without waiting for a tight cabbage head.
Starting seed
Sow 1/4-1/2 in. deep for mild spring weather or late-summer planting. Keep moist at 60-70 F; allow about 4-10 days to sprout. Thin to 12 in. apart, rows 18 in. apart. Use sun and fertile soil; prolonged cold or heat may trigger bolting.
Care through the season
Maintain even moisture and remove weeds while small. Rotate brassica beds and use insect netting before flea beetles or caterpillars arrive. Grow for a cool harvest; extended cold on young plants can induce flowering, and summer heat can reduce leaf quality. Fall sowings often avoid spring cold followed by heat.
Harvest and use
Harvest usable young leaves or cut the filled rosette at its base, about 30-40 days from sowing. Refrigerate promptly and use soon. For seed, keep several healthy plants through flowering; isolate from other flowering Brassica rapa and dry ripe pods before threshing.
Saving seed
These open-pollinated brassicas are insect-pollinated. Keep several healthy, typical plants for seed and prevent crossing with other flowering varieties of the same species. Some plants need a cold period before flowering. Let pods mature, then cut and dry them under cover before they shatter; clean, label and store seed cool and dry.
Common problems
Check young leaves for flea beetle holes, aphids and caterpillars. Use row covers early, inspect regularly, and remove badly diseased plants. Crop rotation, drainage and steady watering help limit root disease and stress. A flowering stem means the leafy harvest is ending; use the leaves promptly.
Frequently asked questions
Does it form a tight head?
Maruba Santoh Round offers tender, rounded green leaves and juicy white stalks without waiting for a tight cabbage head.
When should I harvest?
Harvest usable young leaves or cut the filled rosette at its base, about 30-40 days from sowing. Refrigerate promptly and use soon. For seed, keep several healthy plants through flowering; isolate from other flowering Brassica rapa and dry ripe pods before threshing.
Why is it flowering early?
Maintain even moisture and remove weeds while small. Rotate brassica beds and use insect netting before flea beetles or caterpillars arrive. Grow for a cool harvest; extended cold on young plants can induce flowering, and summer heat can reduce leaf quality. Fall sowings often avoid spring cold followed by heat.
