Gai lan (Brassica oleracea), sometimes called Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, is usually grown as a fall, winter or early spring crop. It has similar needs as its close relative broccoli and thrives in the same growing conditions. Gai lan is prized for its broad leaves, stems and small florets, which do not lose flavor if a few flowers open before harvest. You can use it as a cooked green or add it to stir-fries. Gai lan is usually started from seed sown directly in the garden in fall or late winter.

Add a 2-inch layer of compost and 2 cups of 10-10-10 fertilizer to every 50 square feet of garden bed. Incorporate these amendments with the top 6 inches of soil by turning them in with a spade.

Plant the gai lan seed on the soil surface, spacing the seeds 4 inches apart in rows set 24 inches apart. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of soil.

Spray the seed bed with a fine mist of water daily or as needed so the top 3 to 4 inches of soil remain moist until the seeds germinate. Reduce watering to about once weekly and supply 1 inch of water at each irrigation, or enough to moisten the top 6 inches of soil.

Thin the gai lan seedlings once they produce their second set of leaves, or when they are about four weeks old. Remove the excess plants so the remaining seedlings are spaced approximately 6 inches apart.

Sprinkle ½ cup of 21-0-0 nitrogen fertilizer down each 10-foot row after thinning the plants. Apply the fertilizer 6 inches from the base of the plants. Water immediately after application so the fertilizer dissolves and soaks into the soil.

Harvest gai lan before the flowers open, although a few open flowers won't decrease the quality of the vegetable. Cut off the main shoot near its base but leave the side shoots on the plant to continue developing. Harvest the side shoots before they flower.