Permapotes

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Kohlrabi is a cultivated form of Brassica oleracea, in the Brassicaceae family. It therefore shares its species with heading cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower, but selection here has developed a thickened stem. Despite its turnip-like appearance, the main edible part is this swelling above the ground rather than a root.

The swollen stem is rounded, sometimes slightly flattened, and carries leaves on stalks that seem to radiate outwards. This gives kohlrabi an unusual outline among vegetables. The leaves are green or sometimes tinged with purple and extend this structure without forming a tightly packed cabbage head. Roots sit below the swelling and remain separate from the fleshy part valued in the kitchen. This arrangement makes its shape particularly easy to recognise.

Varieties can have pale green, whitish or purple skin. Inside, the flesh usually remains white to very pale green, so a purple outer surface does not produce a vegetable that is purple throughout. Purple forms offer an attractive contrast in the vegetable garden, while lighter forms draw attention to the outlines of the stem and leaf stalks.

Tender flesh is crunchy and has a mild cabbage flavour, sometimes with a slightly sweet note. You can enjoy it raw, grated or chopped in salads, or cooked in soups, purées and vegetable dishes. It also suits steaming or pan cooking. These preparations offer different experiences, from fresh crunch to a softer texture, rather than limiting kohlrabi to one way of serving it.

Selections differ in earliness, usual size and ability to retain tender flesh. Some varieties are intended to produce much larger swellings than ordinary types. A large kohlrabi is therefore not automatically fibrous, but size alone does not guarantee quality. Skin colour is also insufficient to predict sweetness or texture, so the variety matters as well as its appearance.

Kohlrabi is generally grown for its swollen stem over one season. Producing a flowering stem represents another stage of development, separate from the desired thickening. In the garden, its shape shows how one species can provide vegetables valued for leaves, flower heads or stems. Kohlrabi adds diversity of form as well as flavour.

Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 30 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 0.5 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 20 cm
  • Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing