Brassica oleraceavar.gongylodes
I ’m not trusted if it ’s my German heritage or my affection for oddball vegetables , but I experience draw to grow Brassica oleracea gongylodes .
This scratch relative is offbeat , forming a bulbous mass that resembles a regal or light green white turnip but grows above undercoat .
It stock halt that look a little like antenna , topped with leaves like to those of collard greens or broccoli .
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With most of us gardeners more accustomed to earth - shaped root veg , broccoli “ tree diagram , ” or leafy lot of kale , kohlrabi is one bizarrecruciferous veggie .
Some call it ugly , while others find it so pretty they use its striking colors and distinctive shape to liven up comestible landscaping or nerveless - weather dish garden .
I prize this offbeat vegetable for its flavor and its tight - develop nature . The slow white flesh inside those expound stems is crisp , sweet , and more or less turnipy . The best comparability I ’ve hear is that it savour a bit like Brassica oleracea italica staunch .
The flora suppurate 45 to 70 days from sowing , depending on the variety , and grow edible Green in about 21 days . What ’s not to love ?
If you ’re fascinate or already sell on the idea of turn Brassica oleracea gongylodes in the base garden , I have lots of information for you . Here ’s what ’s descend up :
What You’ll Learn
What Is Kohlrabi?
Kohlrabi looks like a few things it ’s not .
To get with , its edible portion appear to be a orotund electric-light bulb but is really an magnified stem , or stem globe , that grows above primer coat .
It ’s okay to call them bulbs , everyone will roll in the hay what you mean . But these are not reliable bulbs likedaffodils , amaryllis , onion , and such .
With its purpleness or light green skin and protruding spiky stems of the same colour , you may think it ’s merely an tempting ornamental that a nurseryman would grow on a lark .
But those bulb-shaped masses hold back immobile , white flesh with an orchard apple tree grain and modest Brassica rapa gustatory perception . They ’re delightful raw or cooked and are a authentic reference of early spring or autumn produce .
Except for the young leaf , this cole crop looks nothing likebrussels sprout , loot , collard greens , clams , orbroccoli . Yet all of these are actually the same species , Brassica oleracea , each derived from a wild Indian mustard plant spawn in different ways over the course of century .
turnip cabbage goes by the varietal namegongylodes , and its many cultivar may be referred to as belong to the gongylodes group .
Do you accord with all the mass who think those alien - look spikes and globular growths make Brassica oleracea gongylodes look like Sputnik ? I ’ll let you consider your resolution while we talk about a few other trait .
The plants can raise nine to 18 column inch improbable and spread six to 18 in wide , calculate on the cultivar . instruct more about spacing requirements here .
The enlarged halt that resemble bulbs may extend to six to 10 inches as they mature , though all but the elephantine smorgasbord are only nipping and edible when harvested at one to three inches spacious .
Kohlrabi is most often grown as an annual , but it is really a biyearly , complete its animation cycle by bloom and producing seeds in its 2d time of year .
Most of us vegetable gardeners would n’t be interested in leave kohlrabi in the garden over the winter , though . The inspissate stems only taste good when you harvest them at their top , which is anywhere from 45 to 70 days from sow , depending on the variety .
found in late summertime or early fall as urge , they ’d become fibrous with a blistering taste by November or December and would surely be inedible by New Year ’s .
There ’s no point in admit matured turnip cabbage plants to take up space in the veggie garden that could be well give to awinter cabbageorcover crop – unless you want to let it overwinter outside to bloom the following spring , so you ’ll have seeds to save for a new crop .
If you project to save seminal fluid , reserve only a couple of plants . They can yield hundred of seeds for each one . But think of that a two-year brassica allowed to overwinter can potentially encourage soilborne diseases or overwinter bugs such as aphids .
In summation to its sweet , balmy gustatory sensation , kohlrabi is also in high spirits in character and essential nutrient like vitamin vitamin C and B6 . And its leaves are delicious too . Small ones harvested young try out the best .
You ’ll find more idea for way to do turnip cabbage come up , but first , countenance ’s front at the story of this offbeat nerveless - atmospheric condition vegetable .
Cultivation and History
What ’s even more strange than the Sputnik soma or regal exterior of this vegetable is the fact that kohlrabi was unidentified – no one had relate to it in writing – up until about 500 years ago .
Some other fellow member of this same species are ancient vegetable , like the wampum that was civilize by the ancient Romans or the collard greens produce by ancient Greeks .
This particularB. oleraceavariety was first recorded in northerly Europe in 1554 , when the botanist Matthiolus sketched it and wrote that it had “ get along latterly into Italy . ”
By the remnant of the 16th one C , one could find turnip cabbage being spring up in England , Spain , Tripoli , and the Eastern Mediterranean .
At the same metre , it gained popularity with Germans in picky . It use up its name from the German “ Kohl , ” which means “ cabbage , ” and “ Rabi , ” deliberate a variant of the Swiss German “ Rübe , ” or turnip .
Thus our stout , dense , bulging brassica friend is foretell kohlrabi , aka German white turnip .
Germany is responsible for for producing and consuming the most kohlrabi worldwide today , and you ’ll often find it steam or sauteed and do with a white sauce made with lots of butter and cream , and spiced with nutmeg tree .
common people in other land grow and eat plenty , too , including gardener and Cook in Austria , Switzerland , Vietnam , and the US . No one ’s sure how it first made its way to the States , though platter of its presence here day of the month back to the early nineteenth century .
desire to unite in on the sport ? Here ’s what you involve to eff about starting your own craw of tasty German Brassica rapa :
Kohlrabi Propagation
Kohlrabi is easy to maturate from seed , although in some surface area you may want tostart seeds indoorsso they can mature before the weather gets too hot .
you’re able to sometimes find starts topically , too , and transplant them into the garden . Here are the basics :
From Seed
In late wintertime or other spring , sow seed as soon as the soil can be naturalize – unremarkably two to four hebdomad ahead of the average last frost particular date in your sphere .
Plant seeds a half - column inch inscrutable , spacing them four inches apart , or 10 inch for giant varieties , with row that are about a foundation apart .
Or you could take the same tack as “ The Victory Garden Cookbook ” author Marian Morash .
She writes about sowing several seminal fluid at four - column inch musical interval and then thin out the ones that sprout to leave only the unattackable seedling in each spot .
The Victory Garden Cookbook , useable on Amazon
Keep the soil moist – but not waterlogged – until the seeds sprout .
programme tosow again , or succession plant , in late summertime or early fall for an autumn or former winter harvest .
Ourguide to planting turnip cabbage from seedhas complete info .
Especially if you live in an area where cool leap conditions gives way to summertime temperatures quickly , you may desire to start seeds indoors so you could transpose vernal seedlings instead of direct sowing .
That will give you a couple of redundant weeks for the kohlrabi to grow in the nerveless temperature it prefers .
Sow seeds inside six to eight workweek before of the average last hoar in your area , and you should have transplants ready to go in the ground a twosome of weeks before the last freeze .
you’re able to seed indoors in midsummer , too , so you ’ll have established seedlings quick for fall planting .
To minimise any root disturbance when you transplant , count seed in biodegradable potbelly that can be bury when they move outdoors .
CowPots are my favorite biodegradable alternative . Made from moo-cow manure , theydon’t let in peatand will give the filth a nutrition boost once they degenerate in your veggie patch .
CowPots Biodegradable Seed Starting Pots
Six - cell CowPots areavailable from Arbico Organics .
Transplanting
Whether you ’ve grown or purchase starts , to keep off graft shock , be certain to allow an extra hebdomad to step by step expose the seedlings to increased light and cooler temperatures out of doors .
implant out your hardened off seedlings as soon as the soil can be worked in springtime , or in previous summer to mid - diminish for an autumn or early wintertime harvesting .
How to Grow Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is not a picky flora , but it does have a few non - on the table growing requirements .
The first is a full - sun growing situation , and the second is nerveless conditions .
Though it grows promptly and produces the tasty “ bulbs ” between 65 and 75 ° F , once temperatures exceed 75 ° F , this brassica will stop turn .
Hardy in Zones 3 to 9 , those of us in warm climates must assure that it ’s not subjected to more than a few Day of temperatures above 75 ° F . A week or more of summery conditions , and you may say au revoir to your crisp , broccoli - stem turn flavored crop .
Sow or transplant kohlrabi in late winter or former saltation , or perhaps late summertime or other free fall , depending on your location – any time when it will revel coolheaded atmospheric condition for about 45 to 60 days .
On the other end of the thermometer , Brassica oleracea gongylodes is said to taste sweeter after a few light Robert Frost . Like other hardy cole crops , it can withstand freezes of 24 to 28 ° F .
Plant in rich , well - draining soil that ’s been amended with plenty of of age manure or other compost constitutional material . turnip cabbage plants are heavy affluent that do n’t appreciate besotted human foot .
Garden soil should have a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0 . Do asoil testbeforehand , ideally the season before you intend to plant kohlrabi so you ’ll have time to remediate the filth to adjust the pH if needed .
If you ca n’t poise your aboriginal dirt before it ’s meter to establish , view trying araised bedfull of growing admixture formulated for vegetables for a season .
If you ’re growing Brassica oleracea gongylodes in a container , it should have drainage gob and take hold at least five gallons for four or five plants .
Once the seedlings or transplants are a few inch tall , measure rainfall with a rain gage . If your turnip cabbage is n’t receiving about two inches of total rain each week , bring home the bacon supplemental urine .
With a hosiery or tearing can , water at the soil surface , not from above , to avoid transmitting waterborne diseases .
Throughout the growing time of year , continue to weed so these weighty - prey cole harvest wo n’t have to compete for nutrition .
A two - inch stratum ofuntreated mulchlike sens clippings orpine strawwill aid stamp down smoke while it retain moisture .
Just ensure the mulch does n’t touch the stems or leaves so it ca n’t transmit harmful weewee mold or soilborne fungi and bacterium .
Especially when you ’re uprise one of the varieties that take 55 or more days to maturate , consider applying an 8 - 8 - 8 or 10 - 10 - 10 NPK all - use fertilizer when you sow or transplant .
Apply a side dressing of the same poppycock once seedling are a few weeks one-time or transplants have been in the ground for 30 Clarence Day . kind bred to grow in 40 to 45 days can usually do without the superfluous fertilizer .
You wo n’t have to work too toilsome to keep up with kohlrabi for the six to eight hebdomad it call for to suppurate , but you should render to harvest before the bulging stems get woody .
Growing Tips
Kohlrabi Cultivars to Select
Whether this is the first prison term you ’ll grow this zany - look veg or you ’re looking for a new case you ’ve never grown before , you ’ll encounter a healthy number of choice .
Here are a few of my favourite cultivar :
Early White Vienna
raring for a spring or summer - planted harvest ? ‘ former White Vienna ’ is not as spry to get on as some hybrids like ‘ Konan , ’ but the bulbs are ready 55 days from inseminate .
That ’s early for an heirloom cultivar that dates back to the 19th century .
‘ former White Vienna ’ has crisp , juicy human body best consumed when the light bulb are two or three inch in diam . Any older and they become woody .
‘ Early White Vienna ’
‘ Early White Vienna ’ turnip cabbage is pleasant-tasting when peeled and cut into thin slices to serve crude with a favorite dip , or spiralized for a coleslaw .
you’re able to find seedsavailable at True Leaf Market .
Konan
There is nothing barbaric about this ‘ Konan ! ’
A 2016 All - America Selections victor in the edibles category , this loan-blend produces four- to six - in pale green medulla oblongata with a sweet , somewhat turnipy flavor .
quick to harvest in just 45 days , ‘ Konan ’ is ideal for growing in a elevate bed for a substantial harvest time , starting with the greens which are quick to beak and eat in around 21 days .
‘ Konan ’
The fledged height of this industrial plant is 12 to 18 inches , so turn over tucking in a few leaf lolly to get in between in fall or early outflow .
Find 100 - semen packet of ‘ Konan’available at Burpee .
Kossak
Go big but stay home with this walloper Brassica oleracea gongylodes hybrid .
Unlike the cultivars that will grow larger but should be harvested at three inches in diameter max , ‘ Kossak ’ is sweetly turnipy and crisp glean at a mature size of eight in .
They ’re ready to peck just 45 days from sowing , and you’re able to savour several servings from a single kohlrabi !
‘ Kossak ’
The light light-green veg will also last for about four month when stored in a stem cellar .
find out packets of 25 ‘ Kossak ’ seedsavailable from High Mowing Seeds .
Purple Vienna
An early heirloom variety that ’s ready to harvest 60 day from sowing , ‘ Purple Vienna ’ has pretty majestic stems and bulbs . Its leaves are green , and the flesh is a creamy bloodless .
‘ Purple Vienna ’
‘ Purple Vienna ’ grows about 12 inches tall , and it make a spectacular accent in a declivity container garden or window box alongsideornamental kaleor complemental - color bloom annuals like yellow pansies .
line up parcel or bulk sum of money of ‘ Purple Vienna ’ seedsavailable from lawful Leaf Market .
Managing Pests and Disease
Kohlrabi does n’t typically face difficulty with blighter or diseases , but you may run into a few .
cervid top my “ not apprise ” list . sad to say , if you were looking for a deer - resistive vegetable , you ’ll have to pass on turnip cabbage . It ’s so beloved by the Bambis of this world that some who like to intentionally run deer farm it expressly for this purpose .
You may need to make adeer - deterrent fenceto protect all of your most appealing vegetable .
rabbit will also nibble on the seedling , especially if you ’re not growing much else in the cool natural spring or fall atmospheric condition . Look formore tips on deterring bunnies in our guide .
Beyond four - footed foes , a few insects and a couple of gastropods are drawn to turnip cabbage , but you ’ll find they ’re less likely to aggress this cole harvest than other brassicas like cabbage , kale , and the like .
Kohlrabi ’s quick maturation is one advantage here . If you keep the works healthy , they may grow to a harvestable size before microbe can wreak havoc .
Some cabbage home pestilence do the most harm when they chew up leaves , but unless they are prolific , they wo n’t bolt down the flora or keep it from form those tasty above - ground “ bulbs . ”
With all that enounce , you should still be on the picket for these pests so they do n’t proliferate to the head where they cause serious equipment casualty :
Aphids
Aphids are common in the vegetable garden , and brassicas are a favourite for these sapsuckers
They may not damage enough of the leaf to make a difference of opinion , or you may not design to reap the edible greens , but you want to control aphid before they stunt growing or an out - of - control plague defeat your kohlrabi in a flash .
spray down the leaves with water from the hose can take care of a few aphids . If you could see 12 , consider neem oil or insecticidal soap as a remedy .
Bonide Neem Oil
Bonide neem oil isavailable at Arbico Organics .
Learn more about find , combatting , and preventing aphid plague in our guide .
Cabbage Loopers
They may move like inchworms , but cabbage inchworm caterpillars are enemy that will chew up your cool - weather greens .
lifelike predators including ladybugsare a good first line of defense – they ’ll down the eggs before the larvae can brood to ware the leafage , and they ’ll eat any larva that superintend to emerge , too .
By keeping your plants healthy and assisting their libertine growth with regular pee and weeding , you may be able-bodied to harvest before the loopers do much damage , and stave off chemical discourse altogether .
Read more about cabbage inchworm control here .
Flea Beetles
Itty - bitty flea beetle , no swelled than pinhead , may vocalize precious , but they chew telling numbers of itty - weensy holes in Brassica oleracea gongylodes leaves .
If you ’re get ready to glean shortly and you are n’t distressed about losing a few greens , you may disregard flea beetles .
When they consume so much they are affecting the flora ’s ability to photosynthesize , though , combat them with neem oil or by applyingdiatomaceous earthto the soil around the plants .
Find more tips for forestall and collar with flea mallet infestation here .
Snails and Slugs
Okay , ick . Slugs and snails are classified as “ armored gastropods , ” though the slug may obscure their eggshell inside their sticky body .
These slimy pestilence present problems when it ’s cool and sloshed . So the prime time for growing kohlrabi in the spring offer plenty of opportunity for the univalve to chew holes in leaves , or devour vernal industrial plant in good order down to the soil surface .
Both issue to feed at dark after hiding in plant detritus and leafage piles , or under circuit board and rocks . forfend create a safe haven by clearing all those items from areas in and around your vegetable patch .
You may need to shroud new transplants or vernal seedling with words covering to deter slugs and snail . Once you see them , try hand - picking and beer gob forward of other solutions .
Consult our guide to protecting plants from slug and snails here .
Diseases
If you ’ve been a veggie gardener for any amount of metre , you probably already know that the best tactic for controlling disease is prevention .
For kohlrabi , which is n’t disease - prone in the first place , you’re able to ordinarily skirt most progeny by planting in well - draining soil , supply enough space between plants for right air circulation , and avoiding overwatering .
It ’s also important to practice good garden hygiene , work only with clear tools and clean hands , and clear plant debris from the garden that can harbor or disperse pathogens .
And always rotate brassica crops with vegetable from other families , likesquashortomatoes .
That way , you are n’t establish Brassica oleracea gongylodes in a positioning where harmful fungi , bacteria , or water mold may still be endure after infecting a previous scratch family crop .
In typesetter’s case you do still encounter disease issues , here are three possibleness :
A number of different character of bacteria can make bacterial lenient putrefaction , which can strike while plant life are growing in the garden or post - harvest .
It ’s potential it will occur at any temperature between 45 and 90 ° F , first create small soft spots on those tasty enlarged stems .
Luckily for us Brassica oleracea gongylodes grower , bacterial rotting becomes far more aggressive at temperature above 70 ° F , and the harvest is already in the kitchen or root basement by then , one would hope !
To prevent bacterial rot while your plant are growing at temperatures below 70 ° F , ensure you do n’t touch the plants with filthy hands or dirty tools , or when they ’re soused .
Infected soil can transfer the bacteria , as can irrigate , so skip harvest leafy vegetable or earth when the plants are still moist from rain , dew , or humidity .
Be careful not to nick Brassica oleracea gongylodes with hired hand tools or a fingernail , as such wounding can promote bacterial rotting .
If you notice larger soft spots on the garden truck or a rotted smell , it ’s too late to relieve that particular Brassica oleracea gongylodes . Before the disease reaches that stage , check out our scout to controlling bacterial hogwash on garden - grown fruits and vegetables .
RhizoctoniaorFusariumspecies of fungi andPythiumwater molds are the most coarse causes of soften off , and it ’s a heartbreaker .
One minute you have flourish , goodly seedlings , and the next they ’ve flopped over utter .
keep this outcome with the treatment and prevention tips in our damping off guide .
you’re able to spot downy mould by the chicken spots that seem , depart on the foliage elevation and father big , while the bottom have a floury visual aspect that gives this malady its name .
The cause is the water moldPeronspora parasitica , which take advantage of warm , moist conditions .
It will most probably leave kohlrabi alone , unless the spring is unseasonably tender , you have n’t earmark enough space between plant for air circulation , or you ’ve been watering the foliage from above rather than at the soil control surface .
Harvest and Storage
It ’s fun to watch over those fat stems form globe above the soil , and I hope you ’ll have at least one friend or neighbour stumblebum and start a conversation when they say , “ What the heck is that ? ”
But it ’s even more enjoyable to piece and feed turnip cabbage , peculiarly if you do it in a well-timed mode .
think back , Brassica oleracea gongylodes does n’t vary color or otherwise in outbound appearance to indicate that it ’s quick to find fault , so you ’ll need to reap based on the size of the conceited stems .
you’re able to start pick when the stem globes are an inch in diameter .
Most cultivar taste best when they ’re between one and three inch across , but ensure to check yourseed packetorcatalogfor the anticipated size and expected identification number of days to matureness .
mark off the first possible maturity date on your calendar or in yourgardening journal , or set a text reminder on your phone to start evaluating the globe for potential harvest that twenty-four hour period .
Some cultivars , like the intercrossed ‘ Kossak , ’ have been bred to attain peak quality at eight inch in diam , but the majority of popular sort will have a woody , toughened grain if they develop too large .
You may take to water the grease the even before harvest to make pulling easier .
Either pull the whole works from the ground or apply a clear , shrewd paring knife to slice up the whole plant at the dirt level . The roots can be compost or till into the grime .
Read more about harvest home kohlrabi here .
Some folks make the leaf stem , but I consider they ’re too unannealed and I usually relegate them to thecompost .
you may also harvest kohlrabi greens in the first place in the season to serve sassy in salad or braised as a side dish antenna .
When you pick leave-taking too soon in the time of year , the “ bulbs ” on those plants wo n’t grow as great as those on plants left to farm with all of their leaves intact .
Like kail , the leafage are best with the tough , stemmy stuff – or “ rib ” – removed .
you’re able to keep the greens in the electric refrigerator for a couple of days . Only moisten them right before cooking to discourage rotting .
Read more about harvesting and preparation turnip cabbage putting surface here .
To store the dense , bulging globes , cut off the spiny staunch and come out them in a resealable airtight plastic container or slide fastener bag in the fridge . They should stay smart and nappy for two or three hebdomad .
With root remove , kohlrabi also store well in a antecedent cellar , much liketurnips , beets , rutabagas , andparsnips . They can bekept for up to three monthsin good status .
Once you take turnip cabbage out of the fridge or inhuman repositing , you should wash it in cold pee decent before cooking .
practice a sliver knife or vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer stratum before using it in recipes .
Preserving
If you ’re grapple with a bumper craw , you’re able to lave and peel kohlrabi , turn off it into chunks or slices that suit your intended recipe , and parboil them in stewing water for three minutes .
waste pipe , then plunge them into ice piddle before drain again , and let them aviation dry on a clean dish towel . Freeze in airtight containers .
Frozen kohlrabi can be thawed overnight in the fridge , drain , and cooked in your favorite recipes . take note that it wo n’t retain its fresh grain .
Kohlrabi is not a good campaigner for canning , though you’re able to shred peeled “ bulbs ” to make agile pickles .
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
Once you have a regular supplying of homegrown kohlrabi , you’re able to bet forrard to a wonderful salmagundi of recipe that make the most of this crispy , crunchy , turnipy genus Brassica .
Start with fried kohlrabi with cilantro yogurt sauce . trusted to become a family favourite , enjoy it as a main form for Meatless Monday dinner or as an appetizer whenever you ’ve arrest fresh kohlrabi and athirst folk music to deal with .
Get the formula onour baby internet site , Foodal .
Kid might favor the clod with plain old ketchup , but feel spare to experiment with other dipping sauce for more advanced palates .
For a quick side dish , especially to do with braised pork or fried Pisces in autumn , try a spiralized Brassica oleracea gongylodes slaw . Get the recipe now on Foodal .
The vegan ( or vegan - peculiar ) in the household will revalue it when you use part of your harvest to make a vegan cream of kohlrabi soup concoct with seraphic caramelized onion and coconut milk .
Serve small cups of this vegan delectation as an appetizer at your next house party or potluck , or treat everyone to bowls at lunch . It ’s luscious with whole grain lucre for a healthy autumn meal . Get the recipe on Foodal now .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Kohlrabi’s Kind of Cute, and Very Tasty
Even more than the fun ofplanting vegetables with strange shapes or colour , I simply enjoy being able to grow my own food .
Happily , I can reap Brassica oleracea gongylodes bulb at several stages and eat the greens , too – and admire its offbeat show all the while .
Are you go to plant this unusual brassica this fall or springtime ? If so , would you favour a regal or light-green variety ? Or are you one of the gardeners who ’s already distinguish the wonderment of kohlrabi ?
And for more information aboutgrowing turnip cabbage in your garden , go over out these guides next :
© require the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published by Linsey Knerl on January 31 , 2019 . Last update August 3 , 2023 . Product photograph via Alfred A. Knopf , Arbico Organics , Burpee , High Mowing Seeds , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .
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