Kohlrabi question!

16 years ago

Hi all,

Ok, IÂm gonna venture in here with my kohlrabi question! Hope a few folks get a good laugh like they did on my parsnip threadÂand I hope somebody can answer my question too! (Thank you, Margaret, for the answer to my parsnip question---after all the laughter died down!)

Does anybody know what prevents kohlrabis from developing the bulgeÂor (above ground) root, or whatever itÂs called! I donÂt know what itÂs called either, Digit! You know, the part that bulges out from the main stem thatÂs the part you actually eat!

I have a whole lot of kohlrabisÂI got excellent germination, but all but a couple just have skinny, straight up stemsÂno bulge! IÂm ready to pull them out since theyÂre completely growing on top of/shading my wax beansÂwhich, I just discovered have ready-to-harvest beans on themÂbut I couldnÂt see them because my apparently useless kohlrabis are flopping all over on top of them! (Alright, thatÂs my fault, Âcause I forgot to leave a space for themÂsenior momentÂwhen I was planting the earlier stuff, and I couldnÂt live a whole summer without them, so when I realized what I had done, I stuck them in between the kohlrabis and cukes, thinking that by the time they grew up, the kohlrabis would be long gone, and the cukes would be high enough up the trellises that I could just cut off all the lower leavesÂwhich I do anyway as part of my mildew mitigation program!) ((HowÂs that for a long sentence!)) SOÂnow the beans have totally grown up, but all the big, useless kohlrabis are just sitting there flopping all over the place.

I think if they havenÂt started "bulging" by now, theyÂre never going to! I guess IÂll just pull them out and try again in fall if it gets cool enough early enough.

They were planted way early this year, so IÂm sure thatÂs not the problem. IÂd be wondering if itÂs the clay soil, but since the beets and carrotsÂwith their "roots" IN the soil are doing reasonably well, it doesnÂt seem that would be the problem. TheyÂve been kept way wet ever since they went in since IÂve been here 24/7 this year, so thatÂs not the problem. And IÂm out of ideas! Most of them did the same thing last year, but I attributed it to getting them in too late, and now I know thatÂs not the problem.

Anybody else grow them and have the same problem? Anybody have any ideas at all what might be causing it so I can at least hope to get some good ones next spring?

(No potato stories this time!)

Skybird

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Comments (5)

nancy_in_co
16 years ago
Hi,

My kohlrabi is doing just fine this year. I have noticed that if I crowd them too much they don't form a ball. Also, it sounds like you have a lot of plants in the area. Do you think they aren't getting enough sun? They definitely don't perform without FULL sun.

Nancy
digit
16 years ago
I said that I could probably answer a kohlrabi question, Skybird. I'm glad that Nancy had something to say on your question because I haven't a clue.

Have grown 'em a few times - with zero problems other than some splitting and they become pithy when old.

digitS'
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Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmmpf! Some help you are, Digit! ;-)

I was wondering about the crowding, Nancy. I think that must be the problem. Not the crowding of the other stuff nearby, because the kohlrabis grew way before the other stuff, but the crowding of the kohlrabis themselves. IÂm going to simply have to start forcing myself to thin things when I need to! Even with the other stuff around them, at this time of the year, they get a lot of sun, so I donÂt think thatÂs itÂand all the other veggies are doing great this year. I pulled all but a few of them out, but with as hot as it is now, I think itÂs too late for this crop, but if it cools quickly enough in late summer, IÂm gonna try to stick another batch in and see if they grow up fast enough to get some this fallÂand for sure next spring I'll plant them further apart, and thin if I need to. It makes more sense to grow fewer and actually get something I can use, than to grow a bunch of them and have to throw them all out! Duh!

Thanks for the advice,
Skybird
nancy_in_co
16 years ago
Hi Skybird,

Kohlrabis do grow quit quickly. I have some ready for harvest and I think that I put in the seed about 60 days ago. And I would imagine that they are quite cold hardy so if you have to push it a little in the fall, you should be OK.

Nancy
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Nancy,

I just wanted to let you know that your advice about not overcrowding them was exactly the answer I needed. I pulled almost all of them outÂjust left a couple in to see what would happen to them, and in spite of the facts that they had already been in for so long and that itÂs hot out, those couple are now developing the "bulb." I donÂt know if theyÂll be edible or not since theyÂve grown so slowly, but at least I know for sure what to do next year. If I can find the time I might stick a few more in this year to see what I get before we get a really hard freeze. Since theyÂre in the cabbage family they should be able to easily take the earliest freezes.

Thanks for the great advice,
Skybird

Kohlrabi question!

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