🥬VegetablesHardy
When to plant Kohlrabi
Default: central Europe (50°N)· 50.0°N
Last spring frost: 5 May
First autumn frost: 5 Oct
Frost-free season: 153 days
Calendar windows
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec
Sow outdoors
14 Apr – 4 Jul
Plant out
28 Apr – 4 Jul
Harvest
29 Jun – 24 Jul
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Light
Full sun
Water needs
Moderate
Frost hardiness
Hardy
Takes frost; can go out weeks before the last one.
Life cycle
Annual
Spacing
25 × 30 cm
Sowing depth
1.5 cm
Soil pH
6.5–7.5
Days to maturity
50–70
Containers
Great in pots
Plant family
Brassicas
Succession sowing
Every 21 days
Soil temp. to sow
≥ 7°C
Practical notes
Faster and far more forgiving than cabbage, and one of the best brassicas for a container. Keep it growing without a check or the swollen stem turns fibrous.
Knowing when to pick
Best picked at 6–8 cm across, no bigger than a tennis ball. Cut the stem at ground level rather than pulling.
Storing the crop
Trim the leaves and it holds two to three weeks in the fridge, or months in damp sand in a cellar.
Crop rotation
Rotate on a 4-year cycle: clubroot spores survive in soil for up to 20 years.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: kohlrabi diseases and pests (4) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.