Kohlrabi is not commonly grown in the United States, but is very popular in many European countries.
With that said, it is gaining more interest in the U.S. due to its unusual look and exceptional taste, which is very similar to a turnip.
If you are new to growing kohlrabi, then you may be a bit confused on harvesting it.
Here is an easy guide you can follow on know when and how to harvest kohlrabi in your vegetable garden.
When to Harvest Kohlrabi
![A Raised Bed of Kohlrabi Ready for Harvest]()
Kohlrabi forms an interesting bulb that sits just above the soil surface.
The bulbs have several stems that jut out forming the leaves of the plant.
It is grown for the delicious bulb and its leaves.
If you are just interested in eating the leaves, you can harvest kohlrabi at any time that the leaves reach a desirable size.
If you want the bulb as well, you should harvest kohlrabi once the bulb reaches a diameter of two to four inches in size. You do not want the bulb to become too large, because then it becomes woody and less desirable in taste.
The picture below shows a Purple Vienna kohlrabi bulb that is an ideal size for harvesting.
How to Harvest Kohlrabi
Harvesting kohlrabi is very straightforward. Once you have the kohlrabi at the desired size, you simply pull the entire plant up.
I usually let all the kohlrabi get about the same size, but some will be a bit larger while some are smaller. It really depends on how many plants you are growing, and how you intend to use them.
If you want to add some to a stew, then you can just pull a couple plants, and leave the rest for a later harvesting.
The picture below shows my kohlrabi harvest of nine plants.
![Kohlrabi Plants After Harvesting]()
Once you harvest the kohlrabi plants, remove the roots from the bottom of the bulbs, and trim off the stems and leaves. You will now have a nice bulbs and leaves for cooking.
![Kohlrabi Bulbs With Stems and Roots Removed]()
The purple skin (the skin can also be white or green depending on variety) should be peeled to expose the yummy white flesh to be used in cooking. The leaves should be stripped from the stems, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. I mostly cook them much the same way turnip greens, or collards are prepared.
If this is your first time growing kohlrabi I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy them. They are fun to grow and very delicious!
Purple Vienna, Early White Vienna, and Sweet Vienna are all excellent choices of kohlrabi.
With that said, it is gaining more interest in the U.S. due to its unusual look and exceptional taste, which is very similar to a turnip.
If you are new to growing kohlrabi, then you may be a bit confused on harvesting it.
Here is an easy guide you can follow on know when and how to harvest kohlrabi in your vegetable garden.
When to Harvest Kohlrabi
The bulbs have several stems that jut out forming the leaves of the plant.
It is grown for the delicious bulb and its leaves.
If you are just interested in eating the leaves, you can harvest kohlrabi at any time that the leaves reach a desirable size.
If you want the bulb as well, you should harvest kohlrabi once the bulb reaches a diameter of two to four inches in size. You do not want the bulb to become too large, because then it becomes woody and less desirable in taste.
The picture below shows a Purple Vienna kohlrabi bulb that is an ideal size for harvesting.
How to Harvest Kohlrabi
Harvesting kohlrabi is very straightforward. Once you have the kohlrabi at the desired size, you simply pull the entire plant up.
I usually let all the kohlrabi get about the same size, but some will be a bit larger while some are smaller. It really depends on how many plants you are growing, and how you intend to use them.
If you want to add some to a stew, then you can just pull a couple plants, and leave the rest for a later harvesting.
The picture below shows my kohlrabi harvest of nine plants.
Once you harvest the kohlrabi plants, remove the roots from the bottom of the bulbs, and trim off the stems and leaves. You will now have a nice bulbs and leaves for cooking.
The purple skin (the skin can also be white or green depending on variety) should be peeled to expose the yummy white flesh to be used in cooking. The leaves should be stripped from the stems, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. I mostly cook them much the same way turnip greens, or collards are prepared.
If this is your first time growing kohlrabi I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy them. They are fun to grow and very delicious!
Purple Vienna, Early White Vienna, and Sweet Vienna are all excellent choices of kohlrabi.
