Kohlrabi: Culture Features, Seedling Preparation

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Kohlrabi, Brassica oleracea, she is a stem turnip

Before the revolution in Russia, both professional chefs and simple housewives were well acquainted with kohlrabi. And it enjoyed quite legitimate popularity for its delicate pulp and good taste. Now it is not enough in what garden it is possible to meet her.

At the same time, kohlrabi is still very widely grown, for example, all in the same Europe (although, of course, there was no revolution of 1917, when all the good traditions that took place in different areas, including gardening, were "thrown into a landfill"). By the way, it has been cultivated in Europe since the 16th century (the exception is Southern Europe, where the ancient Romans grew kohlrabi). It was from Europe that she once penetrated into Russia.

Kohlrabi or "stalk cabbage" (as the Romans called it so) have many advantages. But the very first thing is, of course, taste. Few of us do not like ordinary cabbage stumps. Agree that they are much tastier than the most white cabbage. So, kohlrabi can be conditionally considered the same "cabbage stump", tk. to taste, stalk cabbage is very similar to it, only it is even more tender, tastier and sweeter.

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True, the appearance of kohlrabi does not resemble any of the cabbage known to us. But this is not the main thing. Its serious advantage is also its unusual early maturity. Even in the Urals, without problems, if desired, you can get two harvests of this crop. In addition, one should not forget about its super-usefulness, it is not for nothing that in Russia kohlrabi was nicknamed "the northern lemon". And what is not prepared from it!

In the first place, of course, are salads, because Kohlrabi is unusually tasty fresh. You can just take it and peel it, then grate it with carrots and season with sour cream or mayonnaise - and it's already delicious (and, by the way, healthy). In general, salads, soups are prepared from it, stuffed, stewed, and even stuffed for pies.

How is kohlrabi different from other cabbages?

Although it does not look like cabbage at all, but resembles more turnips, kohlrabi still occupies its rightful place in the cabbage environment. Unlike all other varieties of cabbage, this plant does not form a head or head. The fruit is formed as a result of the formation of a round or oval thickening in the lower part of the stem.

As a result, the fruit is called a stalk. It must be admitted that kohlrabi is very beautiful: depending on the variety, its leaves, as well as the stem grower itself, can be from light green to dark purple (there are lilac and even crimson specimens). It is the earliest of all cabbages. The period from germination to the formation of a stalk in early varieties is 60-70 days, in late ones - 80-90 days. Therefore, it is of considerable value, first of all, for the northern regions.

Any cabbage is useful, but kohlrabi in particular

First of all, kohlrabi stems are rich in carbohydrates, mineral salts, proteins, vitamins (especially vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, U, PP and carotene), and also contain fiber and enzymes necessary for the body. They contain a lot of calcium, and the amount of vitamin C is higher than in lemons and oranges (which is why kohlrabi is called "northern lemon").

In addition, stem turnip is capable of accumulating a large amount of sucrose in stem fruits. In terms of sugar content, it surpasses all other types of cabbage. The unusually delicate taste of kohlrabi largely depends on the amount of sugar.

It contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and iodine salts. By the way, potassium is most abundant in red cabbage and Brussels sprouts, as well as in kohlrabi. Therefore, eating kohlrabi has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, metabolism, and the functioning of the digestive organs, especially the liver and gallbladder. If you are actively fighting cholesterol, then you will not find a better helper than kohlrabi. At the same time, like other types of cabbage, kohlrabi is low in calories, and for some, this factor is of no small importance.

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Kohlrabi preferences

Despite the fact that kohlrabi is a fairly cold-resistant culture (and according to a number of sources it is very unpretentious), it will not grow "just like that" on our Ural land. Although, I admit that getting a good harvest of kohlrabi is easier than savoy or cauliflower.

Therefore, I will try to formulate the main preferences of this culture.

1) Kohlrabi is quite cold-resistant, but less than white cabbage. And spring cold snaps in most cases lead to the appearance of peduncles. Naturally, the quality of products is significantly reduced. The stem turnip prefers a moderate air temperature: 15 … 18 ° С during the day and 8 … 10 ° С at night.

2) Stem cabbage is photophilous, but tolerates light shading (although the yield, naturally, decreases). At the same time, it does not tolerate thickened plantings at all. When thickened, the stem grows, and its taste deteriorates. However, too sparse planting is also undesirable - this will lead to the formation of large, but coarse stems.

3) The plant is very demanding on moisture. Even a short-term lack of it is unacceptable. But excess moisture, in which the roots suffocate without oxygen, leads to black leg disease.

4) This plant has one very important feature: the stems must grow continuously. When the soil dries out, their growth stops, and the upper casing part hardens. If, after the soil dries out, the plant is watered abundantly, then it begins to grow rapidly again. As a result, the hardened integumentary part does not withstand, and the stem grower cracks. This means that he can rot or he is actively attacked by slugs.

Therefore, not the slightest drying out of the soil should be allowed: it must be constantly moist. The stalks rotted and gnawed by slugs are unattractive and taste worse. Therefore, if cracking does occur, it is better to immediately use these stems for food.

5) Delicious kohlrabi cabbage grows only on light and well-fertilized, organic-rich neutral soils. On poor soils, it does not give a crop, but on sour soils, like all other cabbages, it quickly becomes ill with keel and dies.

6) The taste of kohlrabi stems is significantly improved with the introduction of a sufficient amount of ash and boron.

Subtleties of agricultural technology

In principle, both seedling and non-seedling methods of growing kohlrabi are used

- the harvest of stem crops can be obtained much earlier, which is very important, given our long autumn-winter-spring period, leading to vitamin deficiencies;

- in a greenhouse in a limited area, it is easier to create optimal conditions for plant development: it is easier to protect against low temperatures;

- less protective biological products and water are required.

As everyone knows, cabbage seedlings are not very fond of growing here. At the same time, unlike white cabbage seedlings, no one will provide you with kohlrabi seedlings. Therefore, you will have to do it yourself.

Seedlings in a greenhouse

To get some run in time, it is better to soak the first batch of seeds a week before planting in the greenhouse in the usual way in sawdust. I usually do this on April 7-10. To do this, you need to spread the pre-soaked sawdust in a layer of half a centimeter in flat containers, and carefully spread the seeds on top of them. Then they should be covered again with a thin layer of wetted sawdust. Containers should be placed in slightly opened plastic bags and sent to a warm place.

At the same time, it is important not to forget to monitor the moisture level of the sawdust on a daily basis: they must be sufficiently moist, but of course, water should not stand there. Usually, seeds begin to sprout for 2-3 days. When the first shoots appear, you must immediately transfer the containers to a bright place.

And in mid-April, you can go to the dacha and safely plant cabbage in a greenhouse. It goes without saying that in the fall you filled the greenhouse ridges with a solid layer of biofuel, and in the spring you added a layer of manure, sawdust and lime and mixed everything thoroughly with a pitchfork. Then they covered this whole flaky cake with fertile earth and sprinkled it thickly with ashes. After that (a week before planting, i.e. April 7-10), the entire area of the greenhouse was covered with a film to warm the soil. Do not be afraid that the plants you are planting are so small. It's okay, they will tolerate the transplant well and take root, provided, of course, that the sawdust in the containers is well moistened, and you act very carefully.

With an interval of 12-15 days, you can plant two more batches of kohlrabi, but immediately with seeds in the greenhouse soil. You can, if you wish, plant a few more lots of seedlings, but in recent years I have been making do with only these three plantings for a number of reasons that are quite important for our family:

- by the middle of summer, a lot of other vegetables appear, and it's no longer up to kohlrabi: you want something else;

- kohlrabi tolerates high temperatures very poorly (although we rarely have them), but during such periods the quality of grown stem plants is much worse (they quickly coarse).

I do not feed kohlrabi seedlings in the greenhouse, because the soil prepared in greenhouse ridges is already very fertile. The land between the plants must be covered with a layer of sawdust, which will ensure more active development of plants.

Read the next part. Kohlrabi: planting seedlings and care →