Features of growing kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is a type of cabbage that looks more like a turnip. It is valued for its juicy taste and the enormous benefits that the use of this product brings to the body.
Kohlrabi can be sown immediately in open ground or grown in seedlings. Sowing immediately on the beds is carried out in the spring, from mid-April to the end of May. Seedlings are sown on seedlings 5 weeks before planting in open soil.
The fate of your crop will largely depend on other plants. Especially those that used to occupy the area now allotted for planting kohlrabi. Such undesirable precursors are radish, radish and other types of cabbage. The soil after tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and beets has a neutral effect on the growth and development of young kohlrabi.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Before starting sowing, the seeds are disinfected. This will help protect young plants from many common diseases.
The composition of the substrate also plays an important role. It is prepared from humus, peat and garden soil (in equal proportions). Also, 200 g of dolomite flour is added to this mixture (per 1 kg of substrate).
Treated seeds are buried 1 cm into the soil mixture and watered. The container or box with soil is covered with glass and sent to a warm (about 20 C) and bright place. The first shoots can be seen after 10 days. When the sprouts hatch, the glass is removed, and the temperature is reduced to 15-17 C. After 50-55 days after the first shoots, the seedlings can be transferred to open soil. At that time, she should already have 5-6 leaves.
Two weeks before transplanting, the plant begins to prepare for new conditions — every day for an hour they take out a container with seedlings outside.
Transplantation
Transplantation into unprotected soil is carried out on a cloudy windless day. The weather must be dry. Choose a landing site well lit by the sun. The shade will not benefit the crop. The soil for planting kohlrabi is suitable for non-acidic (or slightly acidic).
Seedlings are lowered into the planting hole no deeper than the cotyledon leaves. Landing is carried out according to the scheme 60×40 cm.
Kohlrabi Care
Growing this type of cabbage involves simple care:
- regular watering (every 2-3 days);
- regular loosening of the soil;
- weed removal;
- top dressing during the growing season.
There should be three dresses in total:
Growing kohlrabi is easy: the plant does not require too much attention. Remove weeds regularly, loosen the soil, water every 2-3 days. top dressing is also needed; it is carried out three times during the growing season of the plant:
Kohlrabi is an early ripening plant, so you will be able to harvest twice in a season.
Winter storage
White stems are not suitable for storage. But the purple ones keep well. They will be fresh and unharmed in the basement or cellar for several months. Harvesting for storage is recommended in the fall, when the air temperature begins to drop and reaches below 5 C. The average fruit diameter at that time will be approximately 7-8 cm.
How to harvest: plants are uprooted from the ground, leaves are removed and stems are shortened — leaving a maximum of 2 cm. Kohlrabi leaves are rich in vitamins and trace elements, so do not rush to throw them away — they will be an excellent and useful addition to many dishes. The crop will be kept fresh and unharmed for several months.
And if you are interested in other types of exotic cabbage, we suggest paying attention to Brussels sprouts — it is not only tasty and healthy, but also a very exotic plant that can become a real decoration of any site. And if you have already achieved success in growing, for example, white cabbage, then its Brussels relatives will not require much effort. And we will tell you about its sowing, cultivation and care.
Author: Natalia Palamarchuk