General
Kohlrabis look out of this world! This Cole crop creates a turnip-like stem in as little as 6 weeks. Place transplants or direct seed wherever space is available in your garden or edible landscape. Kohlrabis are delicious raw with carrot sticks and rutabaga on your dip tray or in your lunch box.
Latin
Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes.
Brassica family.
Difficulty
Easy.
Season & Zone
Season: Cool season.
Exposure: Full-sun preferred. Light-shade tolerable.
Zone: Unknown.
Planting Seeds
Direct seed early-April until mid-May for a crop to mature in about 8 weeks. Sow again mid-July to early-August for a fall crop. Planting between mid-May and mid-July may cause Kohlrabi to mature in hot weather and produce inferior bulbs. Sow seeds about 1cm (1/2") apart in the row, 1cm (1/2") deep, in rows at least 30cm (12") apart. Thin to about 10cm (4") apart in the row. Seeds will sprout in 5-15 days.
Preparing Soil
Kohlrabi prefers well-drained, fertile soil that is high in organic matter, with a of pH 6.0 to 7.5. Slightly alkaline soil can be tolerated. This heavy feeding plant also needs plentiful, consistent moisture.
Band 1/4-1/2 cup complete organic fertilizer with lime, below 1.5m (5') of row.
Planting
Direct-seed early April until mid-May for a crop to mature in about 8 weeks. Sow again mid-July to early August for fall crop. Planting between mid-May and mid-July causes them to mature in hot weather and produces inferior bulbs.
Diseases & Pests
Pests: Cutworm, Cabbage loopers, Cabbageworms, Flea beetles, Cabbage root maggots, Cabbage aphids, Slugs and snails, Nematodes.
Diseases: Clubroot, Black rot, Black leg, Alternaria, Cabbage yellows.
Harvest
Spring-sown kohlrabi will get larger than tennis balls in fair soil, but if you pick them when they are still less than 5-8cm (2-3") in diameter they will be sweet and
tender. Fall-grown kohlrabi can grow larger yet stay tender. Kohlrabi is frost-hardy, and may last well beyond Christmas in the garden.
Companion Plants
Beet.
