Kohlrabi: The "Lemon of the Garden" and Queen of Fast Vitamins

Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) is a unique cabbage variety where the edible part is not the leaves, but the swollen stem (stem-tuber). It exceeds lemons in Vitamin C content and outpaces almost all other cabbage types in growth speed. It’s an ideal crop for spring and summer planting, yielding a harvest in just 60-70 days.

Soil: Where Does Kohlrabi Grow Juiciest?

Kohlrabi is less demanding of fertility than cauliflower but requires stable moisture levels.

• Best Choice: Fertile Loamy soils (Type 1) or Sandy Loams (Type 2) with rich organic content.
• Soil Check: Perform the sausage test. If the soil rolls into a flexible stick (Type 1), it's perfect: the ground will retain water, without which the bulb quickly becomes woody and fibrous.

Best Companions (Good)

• Onions and Garlic: Repel cabbage flies and white butterflies. Check our spring onion growing guide.
• Lettuce and Herbs: Protect the soil from drying out around the cabbage.
• Beets: Share similar watering needs and coexist well.

Main Enemies (Bad)

• Walnut Trees: Walnut juglone stunts the development of the stem-tuber, keeping it small.
• Tomatoes: Poor neighbors for kohlrabi as they compete for nutrients and suppress each other's growth. See our guide on growing perfect tomatoes.
• Drought: The ultimate enemy. Even a short delay in watering causes the kohlrabi to turn "woody."

AgroPlanner Tip: Don't let kohlrabi overgrow — harvest when the diameter reaches 6-8 cm (like a tennis ball). In our app, kohlrabi occupies a 1x1 grid. The system helps you plan consecutive plantings and will flag the walnut toxic zone in red.