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Purple Vienna kohlrabi is an old heirloom variety that has always enjoyed its status as one of the standards for the home and market. Purple skin covers faintly greenish-white flesh with superb flavour. The tops are small, and the leaves are both colourful and edible. Just treat them like you would kale. Harvest the attractive purple kohlrabis at 6cm (2½") in diameter for the finest texture. Direct sow in early spring for a summer harvest, and again in August to harvest in the cool weather of the fall and winter. This is the most economical kohlrabi to use for microgreens, and their flavour is exceptional.
Matures in 55-69 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
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Latin
Latin
Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes
Family: Brassicaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Easy
We Recommend
We Recommend: Kolibri (KH434). We don’t recommend this wonderful hybrid kohlrabi for any other reason than how splendid looking it is in the garden. Kolibri has the same fine flavour and texture as Kongo, but hey – it’s bright purple! More gardeners need to grow familiar with this nutritious, easy-to-grow vegetable.
Season & Zone
Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full-sun
Timing
Timing
Direct sow several times during the four to six weeks after the last frost date for a crop to mature starting in about 8 weeks. Sow again after mid-July to early August for fall and winter crops. Planting between mid-May and mid-July causes kohlrabi to mature in hot weather, resulting in inferior bulbs. In short season areas, start kohlrabi indoors in cell trays about 4 weeks before the last frost date and transplant out once day time temperatures are steadily above 10°C (50°F). Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-30°C (50-85°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.
Starting
Starting
Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep with plants spaced 10-15cm (4-6″) apart in rows 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.
Days to Maturity
Days to Maturity: From direct sowing.
Growing
Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Kohlrabi is a moderate to heavy feeder that does best in humus-rich soil amended with composted manure. Mix ¼-½ cup complete organic fertilizer into the soil under each plant.
Harvest
Harvest
Spring-sown kohlrabi will get larger than tennis balls in fair soil, but if you pick them when they are still less than 5-8cm (2-3″) in diameter they will be sweet and tender. Fall-grown kohlrabi can grow larger yet stay tender. Kohlrabi is frost-hardy, and may last well beyond Christmas in mild winter areas.
Seed Info
Seed Info
In optimal conditions, at least 80% of the seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 360 seeds, per acre: 104M seeds.
Diseases & Pests
Diseases & Pests
Protect from cabbage moths and other insect pests with floating row cover. Prevent disease with a strict 4-year crop rotation; avoiding planting Brassicas in the same spot more than once every four years.
Companion Planting
Companion Planting
A worthy companion for beets, Brassicas, cucumbers, and onions. Avoid planting near peppers, pole beans, strawberries, and tomatoes.
More on Companion Planting.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
We’re a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We don’t just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what we’ve learned with others.
Gardens don’t just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact — always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earth’s stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Direct sow several times during the four to six weeks after the last frost date for a crop to mature starting in about 8 weeks. Sow again after mid-July to early August for fall and winter crops. Planting between mid-May and mid-July causes kohlrabi to mature in hot weather, resulting in inferior bulbs. In short season areas, start kohlrabi indoors in cell trays about 4 weeks before the last frost date and transplant out once day time temperatures are steadily above 10°C (50°F). Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-30°C (50-85°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.
Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep with plants spaced 10-15cm (4-6″) apart in rows 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.
Kohlrabi is a moderate to heavy feeder that does best in humus-rich soil amended with composted manure. Mix ¼-½ cup complete organic fertilizer into the soil under each plant.
Days to maturity: From direct sowing.
In optimal conditions, at least 80% of the seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 360 seeds, per acre: 104M seeds.
Spring-sown kohlrabi will get larger than tennis balls in fair soil, but if you pick them when they are still less than 5-8cm (2-3″) in diameter they will be sweet and tender. Fall-grown kohlrabi can grow larger yet stay tender. Kohlrabi is frost-hardy, and may last well beyond Christmas in mild winter areas.
