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Kohlrabi is not only healthy, but can also be used in a wide variety of dishes. But how often can you harvest kohlrabi and does it grow back after a harvest? We'll enlighten you.
In a nutshell
- Multiple harvests possible with staggered sowing
- belongs to the group of biennial plants and basically grows back
- despite being biennial, the vegetable is usually treated as an annual plant
- replanting necessary after harvesting the kohlrabi
Can kohlrabi be harvested more than once?
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L.) can be cultivated over a period from March to August. The harvest takes place about two months later. This means that the vegetable has a comparatively short cultivation period of around six to eight weeks, with exactly one plant growing from each seed. In order to harvest kohlrabi over a longer period of time, repeated sowing at intervals of about two weeks is recommended. Since the tubers ripen at an uneven rate, they can be harvested in several passes.
Before young kohlrabi plants are planted, they should be pricked out.
tip: For an ideal crop yield, the plants should be pricked out before transplanting into nutrient-rich soil.
Does kohlrabi grow back?
Kohlrabi is biologically a biennial plant. Plants that survive two growing seasons without being sown again are referred to as such. During these two phases, the kohlrabi grows in two different stages:
- 1st year: Formation of a round to oval sprout tuber with long-stemmed, green leaves
- 2nd year: emergence of a stalk with branched yellow inflorescence; pods form from this, which contain the seeds in the form of black grains.
Since kohlrabi, like other types of cabbage and turnips, is sometimes harvested after the first phase, it often has no chance of reaching the second year. Hardly harvested, the life cycle of the plants has come to an end and they have to be sown again the next year because they will no longer grow back. However, under specific weather conditions, such as later cold weather, flowering can also occur prematurely.
Source: Flexmaen, Kohlrabi purple flowering top view, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
notice: In order to ensure crop rotation and thus protect the plants from diseases, kohlrabi should be planted every four years at the earliest in a bed in which cabbage or other cruciferous plants such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or broccoli have previously been grown.
frequently asked Questions
Should Kohlrabi be preferred?No, kohlrabi is adapted to the climatic conditions in Germany and can be planted directly in the ground at moderate temperatures. Advance is possible, but not necessary.
How is kohlrabi harvested?When the kohlrabi is about the size of a tennis ball, cut off the sprout by hand, including the leaves, with a sharp knife.
Do you have to remove the leaves of the kohlrabi after harvesting?Yes, because they remove water from the tuber. The smaller, inner leaves can then be used fresh in salads; the larger ones can be made into pesto or steamed.