Garden Vegetable - Kohlrabi

Botanical Information

Starting

Notes:

Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil. Succeeds in any reasonable soil, though it is best not grown in an acid soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.5. Prefers some shade and plenty of moisture in the growing season. Established plants are drought tolerant but the best stems are formed when the plant does not go short of moisture. Succeeds in maritime gardens.
Very winter hardy, kohlrabi withstands severe frosts and so can be left in the ground all winter in most areas and be harvested as required. The young growing plant, however, is sensitive to low temperatures and a week at 50°F will cause the plants to bolt. It grows best at a temperature between 64 and 77°F.
Kohlrabi is often cultivated for its edible swollen stem which can be available almost all year round from successional sowings. There are several named varieties and stem color can range from white to green and purple. Green forms are faster to mature and so more suitable for early sowings. The purple forms are hardier and later to mature and are used mainly for winter crops. Very fast growing, the stems of some cultivars can be harvested 6 - 8 weeks after sowing. The plant is more tolerant of drought and high temperatures than turnips, which it resembles in flavor, and so it is often grown as a substitute for that species. Grows well with onions, beet and aromatic herbs which seem to reduce insect predations. Plants also grow well with cucumbers, the roots of each species occupying different levels in the soil. Grows poorly with strawberries, runner beans and tomatoes.

Propagation: Seed - sow April to August in situ. Earlier sowings can be made under cloches.