Growing Kohlrabi

Latest Update 5th March 2020.

Kohlrabi

• I sow 8 Kohlrabi in January and again in March.  They fit in anywhere, which is handy at this time of the year with harvest in late summer and mid autumn. 
• I sow them in my EcoPropagator and transplant them when ready, wherever space permits in my veggie beds. 
• I harvest mini cabbages as needed in the kitchen, prepare the soil in the space left by its removal and plant a replacement crop without delay.
• The are surprisingly tasty and are very nutritious containing lots of vitamins and minerals, and are a great source of dietary fibre.
• To maximise nutritional benefit, they are best shredded and used fresh in homemade coleslaw or sauerkraut, but we also like them chopped and lightly steamed with salt, pepper and a few garden herbs.  

Description.

• Binomial Name:                                            Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes Group).
• Family:                                                         Brassicaceae.
• Variety:                                                         Kohlrabi.
• Garden Bed Type:                                          Drip Line or Ecobed.
• Plant Spacings:                                              375mm.
• Minimum sun per day:                                    4 hours.
• Weeks to harvest:                                          12 weeks.
• Good Companions:                                        Beans, beetroot, sage, onion, nasturtium.
• Climate:                                                        Warm temperate.
• Geography:                                                   Southern hemisphere. 

Nutrition.

• This food is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
• It is a good source of thiamin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and a very good source of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate and manganese. 
• More from nutrition data.self.com.

Maintain Healthy Plants

• This blogpage explains how I maintain healthy plants.  It describes how soil is prepared prior to planting, how to regulate the sun's intensity and how to help protect and feed plants through their leaves.

Propagate Plants Efficiently

•  This blogpage explains how I propagate seeds in a purpose built propagator.

Propagation Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to sow seeds.

Services Plan 2020.

• This blogpage tells you when to make compost and plan other garden/household related activities.

Growing Instructions.

• Sow a few Kohlrabi seeds directly into a shallow drill in an EcoPropagator.  Cover them with sieved compost (about 4mm thick) and water them in well with captured rainwater.
• Once the seedlings have germinated and grown to a suitable size, transplant 8 of them individually with root balls intact into a prepared bed. 
• Water them in thoroughly with captured rainwater.

Harvesting and Storage.

• Kohlrabi can be almost all year round in Melbourne although they will need protection from the sun in very hot weather, and are very slow to germinate in the colder months.  I keep them covered using 50% shade cloth throughout the warmer months.
• Cut the swollen stem off at ground level when harvesting and leave the roots to decompose in the ground.  Recycle old leaves in the composting system. 
• If you have a surplus of Kohlrabi, try coleslaw.

Organic Pest Control.

• Kohlrabi, like most vegetables, are vulnerable to attack from certain pests in my garden.  My blog on "Controlling Garden Pests" explains a little about these pests and what to do to protect plants from them.  For details click on the appropriate link below.
• Slugs and snails.
• Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars.
• Greenhouse whitefly.
• Aphids (greenfly).
• Root knot nematodes.