Kohlrabi Krazy!

Love eating fresh, raw kohlrabi… in past years, to get enough of this crispy veggie when in season, I had to purchase from farmers’ markets or grocery stores.  Although I have more than 40 years’ experience growing flowers, shrubs, veggies and herbs, kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea) has rarely been a successful crop in my home garden.

Cabbage white butterflies are extremely prolific in this area of Wisconsin, and they LOVE to lay eggs on leaves of anything in Brassica genus.  I utilize organic gardening practices so I prefer not to use powders or any insecticides, especially on food crops!  So, by July of each summer past, my fleshy thick kohlrabi leaves were consumed by those not-so-nice cabbage white butterfly larvae.

When I determined I could provide a non-chemical barrier to keep the cabbage whites off my plants, I knew it was worth a try.   My husband designed and constructed a 12” x 24” x 15” tall cage using hardware cloth (a stiff metal mesh that rarely rusts).   The sections of this mesh are 1/2” wide, so cabbage whites cannot fly through to get to the young plants… SUCCESS!   Pictures show that the “U” shape works well and allows enough space for developing foliage of each plant.   One 12” x 24” x 15” cage can hold SIX kohlrabi seedlings.  NOTE: You could build a larger cage for your plants if you wish, but keep in mind, these units must be stored with your garden supplies each year and do take up some space.

The cultivar I chose for this season is called ‘Winner’ and it is appropriately named! Excellent taste and texture… can be eaten in salads or slaws

 It can grow to 18 ozs. per fruit, but I harvested most when they were the size of a tennis ball.  One plant remains in the garden (all alone in its cage) and I will be patient while it matures further.  One of the claims for ‘Winner’ is that it is resistant to splitting so I feel confident waiting a bit longer to harvest my final kohlrabi of the summer  season. 

Although I understand this form of intervention would not be practical for cauliflower, cabbage or broccoli (due to overall size of these plants), it surely worked well for THIS GARDENER, who is just a bit kohlrabi krazy!

M. Lynn Schmid, Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture