Grow Kohlrabi when space in your Home Vegetable Garden Starts to Open

Kohlrabi is in the same family as cabbage and is one of those vegetables that most people neither know about nor want to grow. However, because of its tolerance to cooler temperatures and its ability to grow fairly quickly, kohlrabi can make a nice addition to the garden in the early springtime and even better a great replacement vegetable when the warm weather crops are done. Here are some tips to help you grow kohlrabi successfully.

As with growing any vegetable lets start with what matters most and that is the foundation of your garden, the soil. Kohlrabi likes the soil to be a bit acidic in the 6.0 to 7.0 range. Give your soil a quick test with a home soil test kit available from your local home or garden center for just a few bucks. Make the adjustments to your soil as needed.

Now that you have the foundation of your home vegetable garden all set lets plant the seeds. Keep in mind kohlrabi will tolerate partial shade, but if you want a good harvest, try to plant it somewhere that gets full sun throughout the day. Plant the kohlrabi seeds no deeper than a half inch. Any deeper and the seed might not be able to generate enough energy to push through the topsoil.

Your kohlrabi seeds will germinate in about a week. Make sure that you give it a moderate watering or enough to keep the soil moist. If you do not own a soil moisture level tester, you may want to consider adding it to your arsenal of helpful garden tools. You will get an accurate reading of exactly how much moisture is currently in your soil.

Regardless of whether you are planting kohlrabi in the early spring or late summer/early autumn, avoid following cabbage in a rotation. They are in the same family, use the same nutrients, are susceptible to the same insect attacks and diseases and if you follow same family members, that increases the chances for the occurrence of everything I just mentioned. Instead, follow some peppers or tomatoes if possible, and if this is a late season planting, kohlrabi is an excellent companion for beets, celery and cucumbers.

Your kohlrabi is ready to harvest when the stem is about two inches in diameter. When harvesting pull the entire plant and trim off the leaves with a sharp pair of scissors. Kohlrabi can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two months, although it tastes better, as with other vegetables, when eaten fresh.

You may not have considered kohlrabi before, but I guarantee, once you add it to your home vegetable garden you will be asking yourself why you didn’t add it sooner.

About the Author
Mike is the administrator for the largest vegetable gardening group on Facebook and the very popular Seeds of the Month Club. You can now join the Seeds of the Month Club risk-free.