How and When to Harvest Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is a unique-looking vegetable that’s growing popular worldwide! It’s a cabbage family relative that forms a large, edible bulb-like structure aboveground. Kohlrabi has some growing secrets we’ll reveal below. Use this guide from backyard grower Jerad Bryant to discover when and how to harvest this tasty crop.

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Kohlrabi is alone in its appearance—no other crop exists like it! Though to originate from coastal western Europe, this cabbage relative is now widely available from seed retailers. It’s a gorgeous species that’s both ornamental and incredibly useful.
Because kohlrabi is unlike any other vegetable, you may not know how to harvest, eat, and store it. Fear not, as there are many simple methods for us home gardeners. We’ll cut leaves, peel the bulbs, and prepare the crop using a few techniques.
Whether you eat it fresh or cooked, you’ll taste a pleasant broccoli-radish flavor blend that’s savory and peppery. You’ll want to know when to pull kohlrabi for peak flavor—the bulbs decline in quality if they grow too long in the garden. Let’s see when and how to harvest it for an ideal texture, flavor, and appearance.
When to Harvest Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi takes between 50 to 60 days to grow from seed to a mature bulb. Some larger varieties take longer than 60 days to form mature bulbs, but most will be ready to harvest two months after planting. Because kohlrabi is a cool season crop, you’ll most likely harvest it in spring, fall, or winter.
You’ll want to wait until the bulbs reach just below their full advertised size. Standard varieties swell to two or three inches in diameter, while others grow between four to six inches. Some new gigantic varieties exist that reach eight to ten inches wide! Harvest each of these right as they reach their full size, and avoid delaying harvests.
Delayed harvests cause woody, peppery bulbs that are difficult to eat. Cooking the flesh can sometimes reduce the woodiness, although some tough fibers may remain in your dish. Blend overgrown kohlrabi in soups, stews, or sauces to mask the texture and flavor of the overripe bulbs.
Use the Leaves Year Round

Did you know kohlrabi leaves are edible like the bulbs? Their tasty leafy greens are similar to cabbage and cauliflower leaves. Depending on the variety you grow, they’ll have purple, green, or white colors throughout. The benefit of eating the leaves is they’re ready well before the bulbs are. Harvest a few to enjoy the kohlrabi flavor early in the growing season.
Steam or boil the leaves to make them tender and more palatable. The youngest leaves are best to eat, as they’re tender, fresh, and sweet tasting. Older leaves can grow tough, fibrous, and bitter. If you find the greens are too bitter to eat, simply blend them and use them in sauces or soups for extra fiber.
After boiling or steaming the leaves you can eat them, or try sautéing them in butter or oil with salt and pepper. Mix in other greens like spinach and Swiss chard for a flavorful side dish. No matter how you prepare them, they’re tasty additions to your culinary tool belt.
Varieties Ripen at Different Speeds

Most kohlrabi bulbs ripen in 50 to 70 days, but larger types can take over 120 days! It all depends on the variety you grow and the conditions it receives. Look to your seed packets for estimated days to maturity ratings. This tells you how many days your plant needs to grow from seed to a full-size specimen.
Standard types that grow two to three inches in diameter take 50 to 70 days to ripen fully. Trustworthy varieties like ‘White Vienna’ and ‘Purple Vienna’ fall into this category. They grow quickly, reliably, and without issue in cool-weather gardens.
Other varieties like ‘Gigante’ need 130 days to reach full size! This kind grows bulbs that are eight to ten inches wide and rarely grow woody or pithy. They’re perfect for root veggie lovers looking to diversify their palate.
How long your brassica takes to mature affects your harvest date. Longer maturity ratings mean you’ll need to tend to plants for many weeks. This equates to a better harvest, but it takes patience and diligence. Grow standard kohlrabi for a quick and easy crop, or larger ones for a challenging but rewarding experience.
Harvest and Store Kohlrabi

Once your crop is ready, it’s time to slice it up and store it! Start by finding mature bulbs in your garden. Look for ones that are almost full size and harvest them before they grow woody or pithy. Younger kohlrabi tastes sweeter and less peppery.
Harvest your bulbs by pulling them out of the ground, or by slicing their main taproot off. Slicing the roots off causes less soil disturbance, but it can also make the kohlrabi ripen quicker than normal in storage. Consider which option you prefer, then remove all the almost full-size bulbs from your garden. Chop off the leaves and use them in recipes, or compost them.
There are a few options for storing this vegetable. It’ll keep for two weeks in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, and for a year or longer in the freezer. Unlike potatoes and onions, it doesn’t store well in a pantry or cupboard. If you’re freezing them, try chopping the bulbs up first so they’re ready to use when you pull them out.
To eat kohlrabi, prepare it fresh or cooked. Fresh bulbs are tasty additions to charcuterie boards and veggie plates. Start by peeling the skin, then slice the kohlrabi into thin portions. For cooking recipes, chop the bulbs into squares or leave them in larger chunks for savory and delicious flavors.
Leave a Specimen For Seeds

Kohlrabi, like other cabbage relatives, is a biennial plant we gardeners treat as an annual. If you leave it in your garden, it’ll grow flowers and seeds from the bulb in its second year. Leave the yellow flowers for pollinators, and they’ll turn from blossoms to green seed pods.
This works in most climates, although in cold zones 6 and below the bulbs may suffer from frost damage. Protect them with layers of organic mulch during the coldest months. Fall leaves, wood chips, or straw mulch work well to insulate them.
Saving kohlrabi seeds is a fun and easy experiment. Heirloom varieties are perfect for seed saving since they often grow true to type. If you have hybrids or newer cultivars, there’s a chance that the seeds you save will sprout into unique seedlings with new traits. Try it yourself to see what’s possible—after years of seed saving you may create a new variety!
If you leave your kohlrabi for seeds, you won’t be able to harvest it for the bulb. Plan to let one of your crops go to seed this year so that you have a consistent supply of free kohlrabi. You’ll never have to buy seeds again!
Popular Varieties
Are you curious which varieties are best for the home garden? These four kohlrabies taste sweet, savory, and delicious. Try them for an easy harvest this season.
‘Purple Vienna’

This burgundy cultivar excels in the garden. It’s ideal for growers with short seasons, as it only takes between 50 and 69 days to mature fully from seeds. It sprouts purple stems and green foliage, and the bulb matures into a lovely purple hue.
This type is ready for harvesting when the bulbs reach two to three inches in diameter. Pick them before they grow too large so you taste them at their best.
‘White Vienna’

‘White Vienna’ is the lighter counterpart to ‘Purple Vienna.’ It sprouts bulbs of a similar size and dimension, except they’re pale green-white. The stems are also green-white, and the foliage is a darker green. Grow the two varieties near each other for a lovely contrasting design.
‘White Vienna’ is ready for harvesting when the bulbs are two to three inches wide. They take 50 to 60 days to reach full size. Chop the purple and white types together in a salad for a pleasing presentation with decadent flavors.
‘Kolibri’

Growers with a medium-length growing season should try ‘Kolibri!’ It swells a bit larger than the previous two types, reaching between four to six inches in diameter. It also sports a purple skin darker than ‘Purple Vienna.’
Remarkably, this cultivar typically needs 45 days to mature from seed to a full-size bulb. Watch it closely, and harvest it before it grows woody or bolts with flowers.
‘Gigante’

One of the largest kohlrabies, ‘Gigante’ reaches eight to ten inches wide! It’s the perfect variety for those who love a growing challenge. Although it needs nearly 130 days to grow to full size, it’s well worth the wait.
Because this variety needs a long growing season, you’ll want to time its growth so that most of it occurs during cool seasons. Start seeds indoors a month before the last frost, and move the seedlings outdoors a week before this date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What month do you harvest kohlrabi?
Most varieties need 50 to 60 days to mature, meaning they’ll be ready for harvest two months after they germinate. Spring sowings are typically ripe from March through June, while summer sowings ripen from August through November. If you live in a warm climate in zones 9 and above, you can grow kohlrabi in the winter for harvests from December through February.
When is it best to harvest kohlrabi leaves?
You can prune and eat the leaves whenever! The young leaves taste the most fresh and the least bitter. Use old leaves blended in soups, stews, or sauces for extra doses of fiber and nutrients.
How do you know when to harvest kohlrabi?
The best way to know is to check the seed package for the days to maturity rating. Most kohlrabies require two months to swell fully, while larger types need three to four months. Watch your crops as they mature and you’ll catch them before they overripen.