Why Should I plant Kohlrabi?
When I mention kohlrabi so many people are like huh? What did you say? kohlrabi what?
And this further solidified my excitement to write this post.
Kohlrabi is actually very easy for us to grow in Coastal North Carolina we are in gardening zone 8b. I want to share about how to grow it and how to cook it so you can grow your own and eat it’s deliciousness as well! Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family…who knew? I love doing research on vegetables that I grow in the garden because I learn more as I go along.
We typically plant Kohlrabi in well-drained soil by seed and seriously in about 45 days we end up with a nice big fat kohlrabi root vegetable. It’s a lot like a turnip but it’s not. It’s a fantastic vegetable to grow with children because like radishes and green beans you get a pretty fast turn around and they get to see their efforts pay off.
-It’s easy to grow!
-It’s chock full of nutrition – minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, iron and calcium, as well as vitamins, such as Vitamin C, B-Complex vitamins, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K.
-This vegetable has been likened to have an “apple taste” so it could be just the sweet crunch you are looking for in salads!
-We grow ours like beets; they are both fantastic for succession planting.
-They are versatile and are delicious to eat raw and cooked!
Some Tips To Grow Kohlrabi:
-I am starting my seeds for kohlrabi right now for Coastal NC Zone 8b. I am probably a little behind on this for this year but keep your fingers crossed for me!
-This way I can set my plants outside about 4 weeks or so before our last frost.
-Plants need room and you will want to keep them about 10″ apart.
-Keep them evenly watered and make sure they are in soil that provides good drainage.
-They love compost so make sure to mulch them with some nice wonderful smelling compost!
Harvesting & Storage Tips:
-You will want to harvest the stems of your kohlrabi while they are still young – Look for the base to be about 2″ in diameter or so.
-Cut the kohlrabi at the stem and leave the stem/root in the ground.
-You can store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.
So how do you cook this root vegetable up?
Also since now you know that kohlrabi is easy to grow…..
You will want to cook us this yummy, easy, vegetable and so I asked some popular bloggers from around the web to share some recipes with all of you!
Kohlrabi Recipes
Cheesy Fritter Cream Puffs – Low Carb
Grilled Kohlrabi Leaf Chips On A Stick
Spicy Asian Inspired Pickle Spears
Thank you to the following bloggers for sharing their recipes with us! Oh my goodness you have to go check those links out their food photos will make you completely want to go plant and cook some kohlrabi up…Wow!
The Homesteading Hippy, Forest and Fauna, and Farm Fresh Feasts
Also head over to my good friend Mr. CBB’s blog with his wonderful post about fall gardening to learn more about this delicious plant! I know I like to read several blog posts about the same subject to get different perspectives!
I so enjoyed sharing about kohlrabi with you this wonderful, versatile plant! I soon hope to share my own harvest to table recipes on this amazing vegetable with all of you!
I wish you all a beautiful week! Until next time….
Fondly,
We’ve grown this from seed with success in zone 5. My husband likes to eat it raw.
I have grown it from seed as well. To give it a head start this year though I may try to sew some indoors I am really trying to get a jump on the season. I have never tried it raw Julie but I will put it on my to do list LOL! Thanks for visiting!
Wow! It’s a bit odd that your growing zone is 8b in coastal North Carolina while mine is also 8b in the Mohave desert of NW Arizona. Maybe I’ll give kohlrabi a try.
Ray I know it’s so funny but we have a lot more humidity. I checked the zone map and I’m like that’s crazy…give it a try and see how it does 🙂 Thank you for stopping in 🙂
I ♥ kohlrabi! Thanks so much for including some of my recipes in your post! I look forward to checking out the other recipes too!
I also appreciate your tips on growing it as we are totally growing kohlrabi in our garden this year! Quite a few local farms grow it with great results, and I am looking forward to being able to pick it right from the earth here at our home in Oregon too.
Cheers!
Andrea thank you so much for sharing! Your food photos made me swoon…YUM!
I’ve been growing kohlrabi for several years. My older neighbors were so excited to see me bring this into my garden because it’s a lost vegetable to the younger generations. Delicious is all I can say I don’t even bother growing broccoli anymore. Pest free and easy easy to grow
Brandi isn’t it funny how some items just drop off in popularity? I am so excited about ours and plan on adding this plant more around the homestead 🙂