Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Early White Vienna Kohlrabi is a vegetable most known for its large bulbous edible root, but the stems and leaves of this plant can also be eaten. This plant is hardy and cold tolerant and will even get tastier after a light frost. It has a light green skin with milky flesh and long leafy stems coming out of the spherical root bulb. Kohlrabi is crunchy and mildly sweet, with a similar flavor to broccoli stems. Try eating fresh out of the garden, or boiled, grilled, baked or even pickled. This seed can also be used to grow microgreens.
NAME: Kohlrabi (Brassica olearcea var. gongylodes)
VARIETY: Early White Vienna
DAYS TO MATURITY: 55 – 65 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 9
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun / Partial Shade
SOIL: Fertile, loam soil with a pH 6.2 – 6.8
PLANT HEIGHT: 9 – 13 inches
SPACING: 12 – 15 inches apart
TEMP: 50 – 75ºF
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Sow seeds indoors 2 weeks before your last local spring frost in seed-starting formula in cell trays or small pots.
Keep the soil moist and above 60°F. Seedlings will emerge in 6 to 10 days.
As soon as seedlings emerge, provide plenty of light on a sunny windowsill or grow seedlings 3 inches beneath fluorescent/LED plant lights turned on 12 hours per day, off for 12 hours at night, raising the lights as the plants grow taller.
If you are growing in small cells, you may need to transplant the seedlings to 4 inch pots when seedlings are a few inches tall before transplanting to the garden so they have enough room to develop strong roots.
Before transplanting outdoors, harden off seedlings for several days. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night. Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process.
When transplanting, dig a hole for each plant large enough to accommodate the root ball; holes should be placed 12 inches apart. Place the top of the root ball even with the level of the surrounding soil. Fill with soil to the top of the root ball. Press soil down firmly and water in generously.
Directly sow kohlrabi seeds outdoors in early spring or late summer.
Sow seeds in a row every 3 inches and cover with 1/4 inch of fine soil.
Lightly tamper soil down and water in seeds. Seedlings will emerge in 6 to 10 days.
Thin seedlings to be 12 inches apart from each other when seedlings get to be 2 inches tall.
Select a location in full sun where water drains quickly. Prepare the bed by loosening or turning the soil under and adding compost, then level with a rake to remove clumps of grass and stones.
Keep weeds under control during the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either removing them often or use a mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating.
Kohlrabi prefers cooler temperatures and may bolt in hot weather, so provide shade or mulch to keep the soil cool.
Hill soil up around the base of the kohlrabi plants to prevent them from becoming woody and to encourage tender bulb formation.
Both the leaves and large root bulb of Kohlrabi are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.
Kohlrabi bulbs are ready for harvest when they reach 2-3 inches in diameter, typically 6-8 weeks after planting.
Use a sharp knife to cut the bulbs from the stem at ground level.
Remove the leaves and stems from the bulbs and store them separately in the refrigerator.
Harvesting kohlrabi promptly encourages the production of new side shoots for extended harvests.
