Kohlrabi might be an intimidating vegetable should you haven’t been round it a lot. It seems to be like a leafy, inexperienced house alien, and has a style like contemporary, crunchy broccoli or cauliflower stems, with a touch of radish.
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Historical past of Rising Kohlrabi
The identify kohlrabi comes from the German phrases kohl, that means cabbage, and rabi, that means turnip—and that type of says all of it about this odd-looking, scrumptious vegetable.
Though these inexperienced bulbs appear to be they have been dug up from the earth, kohlrabi is definitely a swollen stem that grows above floor. Kohlrabi—or “rabi” for the hip, city foodie set—is broadly utilized in Central Europe and Asia, and is gaining in recognition in america.
Easy methods to Plant Kohlrabi
The kohlrabi plant is straightforward to develop, has few pests or illness issues, and grows fairly shortly in cool climate. There are a number of completely different sorts of kohlrabi, however all of them are available both pale inexperienced or vivid purple, making fairly a present within the backyard.
Earlier than planting, fertilize your soil with compost or natural fertilizer, after which plant your kohlrabi into full solar. When rising from seeds, sow open air as quickly because the soil might be labored within the spring, when it has reached 45°F (7°C). If you’re in a hotter local weather, you could wish to begin your seedlings indoors, and transplant them out 6-8 weeks earlier than the final spring frost.
Kohlrabi strongly prefers cool climate, and can turn out to be woody and bitter shortly within the warmth. For that reason, many individuals will usually sow kohlrabi into the backyard within the late summer time, 4 to 6 weeks earlier than the primary fall frost, so their crops will mature and sweeten within the chilly. Kohlrabi are sometimes the longest enduring vegetable within the backyard within the fall, and so they do very effectively in chilly frames, and even tolerating a nip of snow!
Plant the seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep into the soil, about three to 4 inches aside, then skinny to 6 to eight inches aside as they develop.
Particular Ideas for Rising Kohlrabi
Companion Crops for Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi advantages from planting close to bush beans, lettuce, beets, onions, potatoes, cucumbers and celery. Don’t plant kohlrabi close to tomatoes or different cabbage-family crops like kale or broccoli. (Where to get the “Bible” of companion planting)
Plant for Steady Harvest
You’ll be able to have a steady crop should you sow new kohlrabi seeds into the backyard each two to a few weeks till it will get heat.
Preserve Kohlrabi Moist
Drying out is the largest problem when rising kohlrabi, as a result of the bulb stems sit upon the bottom uncovered to the solar. Drip irrigation is very really helpful, however additionally, you will want mulch or compost to maintain kohlrabi’s root zone cool, moist and nourished, in any other case you’ll find yourself with woody crops which are bitter. Drip irrigation and natural mulch can even forestall the unfold of illness by way of splashing water droplets.
Kohlrabi Pests and Ailments
Kohlrabi is seldom bothered by pests or illness, in comparison with its cousins cabbage and broccoli, however prevention is at all times the very best measure. Select sorts of kohlrabi seeds which are proof against the pests and illnesses in your area, and plant kohlrabi in a unique spot annually to reduce the danger of contracting or spreading infections.
In case your kohlrabi seedlings have been eaten all the way down to the soil, cutworms are often the culprits. Sprinkle wooden ash across the base of the crops to forestall them.
Cabbageworms (the caterpillars of cabbage white butterflies) or flea beetles could trouble your kohlrabi crops, however they sometimes choose cabbage and broccoli. Use light-weight row covers to maintain them off or handpick them.
Aphids can deform kohlrabi leaves, so spray them with a non-toxic, insecticidal soap.
Slugs and snails ought to be hand-picked with gloved arms and drowned in a pail of water. You can too simply lure them into traps made by putting an inch of beer in a small open container, and sinking it as much as its rim in soil or mulch. You can too use copper tape round your backyard beds, or diatomaceous earth to maintain them away out of your crops.
Easy methods to Harvest and Retailer Kohlrabi
Harvest kohlrabi when the stem “bulbs” are not more than 2-3 inches in diameter. This takes between 40 and 60 days, relying on the number of kohlrabi you might be rising. Any larger than that, and your crops will seemingly be too powerful.
Reduce the stems 1 inch beneath the swollen “bulb.” Take away the leaf stems and leaves, and use the remaining “bulb” in the identical means you’d broccoli stems or turnips.
Kohlrabi will hold for a number of weeks within the fridge, and for a number of months in a chilly, moist, root cellar.
Easy methods to Save Kohlrabi Seed
Kohlrabi belongs to the Brassica oleracea species, which incorporates broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower, amongst others. Due to this, isolation must be managed thoughtfully, and crops should be at the very least 800 ft away from others within the household to keep away from cross-pollination.
Kohlrabi is a biennial, that means it doesn’t go to seed till its second 12 months of life. So as a way to collect seeds, it’s essential hold a few of your crops alive over the winter by both transplanting them someplace hotter, or utilizing chilly frames to guard them from freezing.
After flowering of their second 12 months of progress, mature seed pods turn out to be dry and switch brown. It’s essential to reap them at the moment, or the seed pods will burst or be eaten by birds and mice.
Seeds might be gathered by reducing total branches or by harvesting entire crops. Place a tarp or material beneath the place you might be harvesting, so you possibly can catch any seeds that burst out of the delicate seed pods.
Retailer kohlrabi seeds in a cool, darkish, dry place in an hermetic container. Correctly saved kohlrabi seeds will stay viable for a number of years.
Easy methods to Use Kohlrabi
There are three conventional methods to make kohlrobi: slaw made by combining grated or julienned kohlrabi with apples; oven-roasted; and blended right into a creamy soup. Use your creativeness; this tasty vegetable might be roasted, dehydrated, steamed, sauteed, fried, fermented or ready any means you wish to eat cauliflower or turnips.
Until the bulbs are very younger and tender, it’s greatest to peel them to keep away from chewy strings.
Kohlrabi leaves are edible when younger and small, however most individuals discover them bitter and difficult as they develop bigger.
