16 Japanese Vegetables You Can Grow at Home
Most vegetables used in Japanese cooking can easily be grown at home. I’ve compiled 16 Japanese vegetables, many of which I grow each year.
My wife is Japanese so when I first started growing food, it was natural to try and grow some vegetables she was used to cooking with.
In Japanese dishes, many vegetables are used that you’re probably familiar with. Carrots, onions, cabbage, etc.
However the Japanese also grow some unique vegetables not commonly found in western kitchens or gardens.
While there are some vegetables that are exclusively Japanese, many Japanese vegetables are also used in other Asian countries such as China, Korea and further south.
I’ll focus in this article on those Japanese veggies that grow well in many different climates.
I won’t be able to cover everything of course. Just some of the veggies we grow and some others we’d like to grow.
This will be also a primer in Japanese veggie words – you’ll be tested at the end. (Just kidding!)
Let’s start with the cooler season veggies.
Cool Season Japanese Vegetables
Negi – green onions/scallions
Commonly used in miso soup, negi is simply a green onion. Usually though Japanese negi has less white part and does not bulb at all. And some negi can grow very long!
We grow a variety called Kincho.
We rarely harvest the whole plant, just cutting off the large leaves for miso soup or to add to stir-fries or fried rice.
It grows well in mild winters, allowing us to harvest most of the winter. It can also be harvested, chopped and then frozen in bags for later use in winter.
Bonus is if you let the central stalk develop a seed head – you can then harvest those seeds and plant more.
Kabu – turnips
Kabu has a more delicate, sweet taste than the traditional purple-topped turnips that we’re used to growing.
This is a cool weather crop as it has a tendency to bolt in hot weather and then the roots get woody and can turn bitter.
Grow in early spring just after your last frost date.
Late summer is also a great time to grow kabu and will result in less insect damage and better taste.
Since it’s susceptible to cabbage moth and flea beetle damage, it’s best to cover immediately with row cover after sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
And the turnip tops can also be harvested and steamed or added to miso soup.
Komatsuna – spinach mustard
Another cold hardy crop is komatsuna, which is a mustard but more like spinach in taste.
Young leaves are prepared like spinach, while older leaves are stronger in flavour and usually are either pickled or used in soups or stews.
It grows very well in mild weather and can grow very large leaves, similar in size to swiss chard.
Mizuna – mustard greens
You’ll find this green in some commercial salad mixes. Usually it’s harvests for the baby greens.
Again easy to grow like any other green.
Once it has bolted, mizuna will have a very hot taste and is then only used in hot pots or other cooked dishes.
Saya-endo – snow peas
These of course are common in Chinese takeout dishes, but the Japanese use them as well.
Often eaten in miso soup, cold noodles, ramen, rice dishes and hot pots, snow peas are a fresh taste, especially when you grow them yourself.
The young pea plant shoots are also often harvested for use raw in Japanese salads.
Best if you grow these on a trellis so they can climb up and you can save space. They can also be grown in a 5 gallon pail just like I did in this video but with shelling peas.
Soramame – broad beans
Another cool weather crop that you can start early.
It’s often boiled and served simply as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants or bars.
If dried, the beans can also be used in fried bean crackers (ikarimame) as a snack.
These also need to be supported on a trellis or between two sets of strings as I show in this video:
Hot Season Japanese Vegetables You Can Grow
Japanese summers are very hot! So veggies that can withstand the heat and thrive in 35C+/95F+ are popular.
Kabocha – summer squash
For a cooking pumpkin that has a sweet taste and a deep orange flesh, consider growing kabocha. It grows well in warm temperatures and is easily trellised as the vines can be prolific.
Used by the Japanese in both sweet and savoury dishes, it’s versatile.
You’ve likely had kabocha tempura at a Japanese restaurant, but in home cooking it’s often just simmered in a broth with soy sauce and sugar.
The seeds also make for a tasty roasted snack.
And kabocha will store for the long-term if washed and kept in a cool, dry location.
Again a plant that should be trellised. I created an A-frame trellis from my daughter’s old crib:
