This bed is planted out with kohlrabi from seedlings provided by our neighbour, Frank. I put them in a shady bed for a while and they did nothing so Frank (hubby, not neighbour) transplanted them here on June 9th. (The Brussels sprouts on the right were transplanted at the same time from my own seedlings and are just budding now.) Today we decided it was time to try harvesting one – the best and biggest.
That little kink in its tail resulted from the whole thing being knocked over in a wind storm just a few days after transplanting. It doesn’t seem to have done much harm.
Harvested Kohlrabi
We ate it raw, and loved it, but I’ve just discovered it’s a big favourite in Kashmir and India so, if the harvest is reasonable, I’ll be looking up some tasty recipes.
Update 31 August: Today I planted 2 rows of kohlrabi seeds (in the lowest terrace along the fence). I did a bit of research and if Sydney is in the sub-tropics (it’s a bit south for that) August is the last month of the year to plant and if Sydney is in a temperate zone (it’s a bit north for that) August is the first month to plant. My gut tells me that the summer is going to be way too hot for kohlrabi so if I plant more, I’ll try to locate them in a cooler (ie, shadier) bed. Either way, the lunar calendar smiles on planting kohlrabi today and it’s still August (just) so I should get a bumper harvest. One little problem (I’ll call it another gardening trial) kohlrabi and beans may not be compatible (kohlrabi reportedly doesn’t like climbing beans but climbing beans like Brassica???). I’m going to plant snake beans behind the kohlrabi. My test couldn’t have been designed better if I tried (which I didn’t). I have 3 rows of kohlrabi – only 1 will be next to the beans. And I’m planting beans in the next bed where there are no kohlrabi. I wonder if I’ll see a difference. Watch this space….
Laura Rittenhouse's Gardening Journal 