Kohlrabi: The he althy bulb requires little space and is very popular with hobby gardeners. We show how to grow, harvest and store in your own garden.
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) is a vegetable cabbage, which is biennial but can be harvested in the first year. In Austria and Switzerland in particular, there are many synonyms for the cabbage species: turnip, turnip, turnip, turnip cabbage or Kaulirabi. In English, the species is also referred to as kohlrabi or stem cabbage. The tuber's name is rooted in the Latin words caulis and rapum, which literally means cabbage and turnip.
What you know as kohlrabi from the supermarket is the thickened shoot of the plant. This usually starts above the third pair of leaves and is therefore always above ground. Kohlrabi grow quickly and take up little space.
Kohlrabi as an ideal vegetable for small gardens and the balcony
Due to its small space requirement, kohlrabi is a popular vegetable for hobby gardeners. It also grows very quickly and produces tasty tubers which, depending on the variety, can be stored for months.
The seed can be sown from the end of February to the beginning of March. This is covered with a layer of earth about 1 cm thick. Four weeks after sowing, prick out and plant outdoors from April. If you want to harvest kohlrabi over a longer period of time, it makes sense to sow several times at two-week intervals. A common mistake is planting seedlings too deep. This leads to problems in the formation of the tuber. The distance between the plants is about 20cm. There should be a distance of 30cm between the individual rows.
The plants need nutrient-rich soil, even if the nutrient requirements are not as high as with other types of cabbage. Poor soils should be improved with a more nutrient-rich soil such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil or compost. Both sunny and partially shaded locations are suitable. During the summer months must be atshould be watered when dry. If kohlrabi is grown in a flower pot on the terrace or balcony, you should water it regularly. A lack of moisture stresses the plant - the tuber may crack or burst.
You can find detailed step-by-step instructions for cultivation here: Growing kohlrabi: sowing, care and harvest time.
Kohlrabi harvest: if you sow early, you will enjoy it early
The harvest takes place about 14 to 16 weeks after sowing. In general, information about tuber size should be taken from the seed bag. When the final size is reached, it can be harvested. Even if the kohlrabi theoretically continues to grow, it is better not to harvest it too late, because over time it tends to become woody. Later varieties can be stored well. The Super Schmelz variety, for example, can be stored well wrapped in a cold cellar for months. Kohlrabi can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. In some sources you read again and again that kohlrabi can also be frozen. However, our experience has shown that the texture changes significantly in a negative way. Unfortunately, this makes the kohlrabi tough and leathery.
There are different types of kohlrabi with different looks
In addition to the classic light green kohlrabi from the vegetable department, there are visually very eye-catching varieties with a purple skin. Unlike many fruits and vegetables, the different color of the skin does not have a major impact on flavor or yield. In general, good cultivars retain their good taste shortly before harvest and do not become woody.
You can find a comprehensive overview of kohlrabi varieties here.
- Azurstar: extremely vigorous and early-ripening variety with violet tubers.
- Blaro: Kohlrabi variety with reddish-violet tubers, which is particularly popular because of its tender and good taste; very productive and bolt resistant.
- Delikateß Blauer: vigorous variety with round and violet tubers; particularly beautiful look.
- Gigant: slow-growing variety that is only ready for harvest from August; Gigant keeps breaking records with a tuber weight of up to 5.5 kg; as long as the variety is not harvested too late, the tubers are not woody but tender and have a good taste; easy to store.
- Knaufs Frühweiß: very early-ripening variety with light green and flattened tubers; traditional and popular variety.
- Kossak (F1): vigorous variety with light green tubers and a high space requirement; the very tender tubers are roundish-oval and can weigh up to 4kg.
- Noriko: early-ripening variety with light green, large and tender tubers; robust and frost hardy.
- Quickstar (F1): very early-ripening variety with a very good taste and very uniform tuber size.
- Super Schmelz: well-known kohlrabi variety with light green tubers that are particularly tender and not very woody. Supermelt produces large buds and a heavy yield. Tubers can weigh up to 5kg.
- Weisser Wiener: vigorous variety with large tubers and a delicate taste; light green and little tendency to woody.
Diseases and pests in kohlrabi
Although kohlrabi is a very grateful vegetable in the garden, it is occasionally attacked by diseases typical of cabbage species: clubroot, cabbage white butterfly, cabbage fly and flea beetles.
If you grow kohlrabi in a greenhouse or polytunnel, you can now and then downy mildew occur. Furthermore, an infestation of the cabbage shoot weevil results in the tubers bursting open.
Ingredients and uses in the kitchen
Kohlrabi consists of more than 90% water, approx. 4% carbohydrates, approx. 2% protein and fiber. With 20 kcal per 100 g, kohlrabi has a particularly low calorific value and is therefore suitable as a he althy snack in between. Meat contains many minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc.) and some vitamins. If you purchase kohlrabi in your own garden, you can also process the leaf stalks and leaves in a similar way to spinach. This can be more than worth it from a nutritional point of view, because the leaves have a umpteen amount of vitamins A and C as well as calcium and iron.
The tender tubers have a pleasantly sweet and slightly spicy taste. Larger kohlrabi bulbs in particular should be peeled. You can then dice the tubers or cut them into strips. Steamed with a little butter, cream and s alt, it is an ideal accompaniment to meat, on its own as a vegetarian dish or as part of tasty vegetable soups. The tender and juicy tubers of the kohlrabi are also good as a raw food.
Especially in winter, the supply of vitamin C is important to strengthen the immune system. In this overview you will find other types of vegetables with a lot of vitamin C.