Kohlrabi’s crisp, mild and sweet white flesh is suitable for fresh eating or light cooking. Enjoy the entire plant and eat the leaves while they are still young, for a flavor similar to kale or cabbage. Johnny’s offers kohlrabi varieties for early season sales as well as a storage variety that will last for several months for winter markets.
If you have never tried eating a Kohl Rabi, you are in for a treat. Unlike a turnip, the “globe” that you eat develops on top of the soil. This makes them resistant to maggot damage. They have a very mild, turnip-cabbage taste. Because of their mild flavor, many kids love them. This popular European vegetable is gaining popularity here in the U.S.
- Heirloom KOHLRABI White Giant Vienna
- Sun: Full Sun
- Spread: 12 inches
- Height: 6-8 inches
- Days to Maturity: 55 days
- Sowing Method: Direct Sow
Seeds can be sown outside just after the last frost, or inside several weeks before the last frost and then transplanted outside. If planting kohlrabi as a fall crop, direct sow seeds around 90 days before the first frost date.
Like most brassica or cole crops, kohl rabi grow best in cool weather. Little growth occurs above about 75F and they tend to become woody and fibrous.
Plant in early spring for a summer harvest and again in late summer for fall and winter harvests.
Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep in rows two feet apart. Thin plants to four inches apart in the row. Kohl Rabi requires fertile soil and ample soil moisture for best results.
Store harvest in cool, frost-free place for winter use.