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(Best months for planting Kohlrabi in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

• Easy to grow.
• Harvest in 55-70 days
• Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C.
• Space plants: 10-20cm

The swollen stem looks like a turnip with reddish/purple cabbage leaves, usually purple or greenish white skin.

Protect from cabbage white butterflies

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Kohlrabi

Use when young.
Scrub well, cut off leaf stalks, roots and woody parts
Young ones do not need peeling.
Can be grated raw for salads
Or cut in pieces and steam .
Use in casseroles.

Your comments and tips

02 Mar 10 George Halligan (New Zealand - temperate climate)

re kohl rabi....rubbish! kids hate ém almost as much as broccoli or brussel sprouts! But who cares, they're great!

06 Nov 10 john kilgarriff (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

i would like to know where to get sum seeds from thanks

11 Jan 11 Chau (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I would like to know where to get sum seeds from Palmerston North. Thanks

15 Feb 11 Heather (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

You can get the seeds off trade me

20 Mar 11 June (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Czech traditional recipe Remove bottom part (if woody), outer leaves and peel. Cut into large dice. Sauté a chopped onion in a little butter or oil add a teaspoon of caraway seeds then the kohlrabi and a little salt. When almost tender sprinkle with a little flour and cook out. Then add milk and a spoonful of sour cream. Cook on low heat for five minutes. Season to taste. This gives a lovely cream sauce and is soooo good.

22 Mar 11 C.C (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Everywhere I've read says just plop seeds in the garden and you're away. I'm having all kinds of trouble. They won't germinate from seed in the garden so I tried raising them in seed trays and they spring up real fast; after transplant it takes about a two weeks for most small seedlings to die; out of 18 plants, six survived. After a month four of those have their outer leaves drooping and yellowed, then the inner leaves become deep purple and the plant stops growing/dies. Now down to two that seem healthy. What's wrong here?

24 Mar 11 Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

C.C., although we suggest planting Kohlrabi in March it has been unusually warm this year, so that might be causing the problems with yours. I wonder if you are putting the seed in a bit deep in the garden ? Starting them in a tray would give you more control over the depth.

31 Mar 11 C.C. (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Hello Liz, after a few experiments I'm reaching the tentative conclusion that yes, it is just a bit too early. Sure the seeds will germinate well in Auckland in March, but during the stage of growth between seedling and the stem being about the diameter of my little finger, they are fragile to any sudden changes. Autumn here is rain then sun, heat then cold, dry then wet. It's too much for them. I have another 12 settled now and 3 have died. If any more die I'm leaving it till mid-April when hopefully the climate will stabilise.

10 Jun 11 Jana (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Hi CC, Kohlrabi don't like the humid weather that is prevalent in Auckland's winter. They don't mind the cool, in Germany you'd plant them in March/April. But they are not doing well in rain. I planted mine late last season (Dec/Jan) and I harvested them around April and they were just perfect. I have two late plants going and will sow again today. Re kids not liking Kohlrabi .. my friends' sons (6 & 8) gobble them raw faster then you'd believe. My sons prefer them fried like a crumbed schnitzel. And my hubby can't get enough of soft, creamed kohlrabi with parsley flakes. This is also what I offered my older son mashed up when we was a toddler and we were still living in Germany. Kids need to try the same thing about 10 times before they eat it and my 8yr old eats broccoli and brussel sprouts and other "strange" stuff ...

14 Jan 12 Anne (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I had a supprise when I sowed some "mesclun- simply red" for salad greens late October, and after harvesting young leaves for sald, left the plants to seed, but much to my supprise one of the varities that has gone on to maturity is the Kohlrabi, and I found this site because i was looking for ways to grow it. I will try some of the ways suggested. But as far as germination is concerned, I just scattered the seed, watered well and since I have no idea of how many seeds I sowed, I dont know what the germination rate was. But they are growing well and it is now January.