Plant library · Vegetables
Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes
Kohlrabi is a fast annual brassica grown for its rounded, swollen stem held above the soil. It reaches about 18 inches tall and is ready in roughly 55 days, making it useful for filling open sections of a vegetable bed between longer-running crops. Harvest the stems while they are around tennis-ball size for the best texture, so place plants where they can be checked and picked easily.
Use kohlrabi in a sunny, regularly watered bed near a path or bed edge, where its low, upright form will not hide shorter crops. At about 18 inches tall, it fits well in the front or middle of a mixed vegetable planting. It can be grouped with beans, beets, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, dill, or chamomile. Keep it out of spaces planned for strawberries, tomatoes, or peppers.
Plant kohlrabi 6 inches apart, center to center, for a close, harvest-oriented block. A mature plant can spread about 12 inches wide, so this spacing allows foliage to meet as the crop develops rather than leaving a full-width gap around every plant. Lay out short rows or a compact grid with enough room along one side to reach the enlarged stems without stepping into the bed.
Give kohlrabi full sun and regular moisture in fertile, amended garden soil. Keep the planting evenly watered and weeded so plants can grow steadily. A mulch layer can help conserve soil moisture around the shallow root system while leaving the swollen stems exposed for easy monitoring and harvest.[1][2]
Plan kohlrabi as a cool-season succession crop rather than a permanent bed occupant. Small repeat sowings every two to three weeks can extend the spring harvest, and later plantings can provide a fall crop. Harvest when stems reach about 2 to 3 inches across; larger stems become more likely to turn tough and woody, so clear the space promptly for the next planting.[1][2]
Reserve enough circulation space to inspect leaves and harvest stems before they oversize. Kohlrabi is subject to several common brassica pests, including cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, flea beetles, cutworms, and aphids. Avoid repeating it immediately in ground recently used for closely related brassica crops; a longer rotation helps keep the bed plan from concentrating related crops in one place.[1][2]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.