Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi

• Why you should grow it
  • High in Vitamin C and potassium
  • Crunchy like a pear, you can eat it raw or cooked
  • Of the cabbage family – commonly called German turnip
  • Great addition to salads
  • Use as a substitute in recipes for broccoli or cabbage

• How to start seeds
  • Plant in well-drained soil in full sun
  • Plant out in the spring and late summer, try not to plant in the heat of summer, they need cooler temperatures to grow to full size
  • Plant under taller plants to ensure that the soil is cooled
  • Sow seeds 5mm deep
  • Needs 45-60 days until mature
  • 1 inch apart and about 4 cm down
  • Start indoors during the heat of summer and plant out when the weather cools

• Tips for growth
  • Plant April to mid-May, mid-July to early august
  • Fertilize soil before planting out
  • Companion plants include beets, celery, herbs, onions, potatoes. Do not plant with pole beans, strawberries or tomatoes.
  • Not good for containers as they root deeply
  • Keep consistently moist, they can become woody if not watered regularly
  • Mulch when the kohlrabi a bit grown to prevent evaporation and insulation against the heat or cold

• Harvesting
  • Kohlrabi is ready for harvest when stems reach 2 to 3 inches in diameter
  • Don’t let it get too big, like zucchini, when left too long they will start to get woody
  • Cut from the base
  • Treat the leaves like cabbage
  • You can harvest the leaves through the season, just don’t take all of them, the plant needs to be able to keep growing

• Saving Seeds
  • Kohlrabi are biennial, meaning they go to seed the year after you plant it
  • They are also of the cabbage family, meaning they can easily cross with cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli etc
  • Ensure that you isolate it from other varieties when it goes to seed
  • The seed pods will turn brown when they are ready
  • Pull off and let fully dry in the sun
  • Label and store in a cool, dark place