Kohlrabi Gigant produces large, white tubers. It's also known as Super Melt. They can weigh up to 5 kg each. The flesh is white, crisp and juicy. It doesn't turn woody. This is a late variety that needs up to 100 - 120 days after transplanting of the seedlings. It can be frozen, used immediately or stored in crates with moist sand in a dry, dark and frost-free place. The taste is delicious and mild. This variety is best grown in autumn. The leaves can also be eaten just like cabbage. In the Netherlands, this vegetable is considered a "forgotten vegetable".
Kohlrabi is a very healthy and versatile vegetable. Kohlrabi contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B11 and a lot of vitamin C. And the minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, sodium and zinc. Kohlrabi also contains a lot of fibre, the phytonutrients citric and malic acids and few calories and energy. Kohlrabi can be boiled, baked, grilled, steamed, stir-fried, prepared in the oven and finely sliced can also be eaten raw as a raw vegetable or salad. You can also make a delicious soup or stew with kohlrabi. Kohlrabi tastes delicious in combination with: cheese, potatoes, bacon, eggs, beef, pork, apple, paprika, curry powder, onions, nutmeg, hazelnuts, ginger, lemon, walnuts, parsley, thyme, rice, pasta, minced meat, veal, cream and crème fraîche. And with various other vegetables such as: carrots, pointed peppers, courgettes, peas, spring onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Semi-hardy annual.
Indoor sowing: middle of March - beginning of April
Outdoor sowing: beginning of May - August
Germination: 7 - 10 days
Germination temp: 15 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: ½ cm
Plant spacing: 25 - 30 cm
Planting position: sunny and well-drained
Harvest period: beginning of June - end of November
Sow indoors from the middle of March - beginning of April in trays or small individual pots filled with moist potting soil. Sow ½ cm deep and cover the seeds with a small amount of sieved soil. Keep on an even temperature between 15 - 20 °C to help germination. Keep moist and weedfree. Germination takes about 7 - 10 days by a temperature of about 15 - 20 °C. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Keep the seeds moist and weedfree during the germination. Harden the seedlings of about 4 - 6 weeks later. Put the seedlings outside during the day for about 10 -14 days and put them inside during the night from the beginning of April. Put them outside after this period on a sunny, well draining plot with loose and well-manured soil. Keep the plants about 25 - 30 cm apart.
Sow outdoors from the beginning of May - August on a sunny plot with well-draining, loose and well-manured soil. Sow about ½ cm deep and rake the seeds carefully in the soil. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 25 - 30 cm apart. Keep weedfree and water well, particularly during dry and hot weather. Because Kohlrabi has a tiny rootssystem that dries out fairly quickly. Apply straw around the plants to prevent the globes from rotting.
Protect the plants against birds, snails, slugs and other pests. Don't grow and put Kohlrabi on a site where members of the cabbage family have grown in the previous year. Sow successive small amounts to prolong the harvest. Cut the tubers of the Kohlrabi of with a knife to harvest them. Cut the round tubers right above the soil with a knife. Don't let the tubers grow larger than 7 - 10 cm. This to prevent the Kohlrabi of becoming to fibrous and inedible. Remove the leaves to make sure you can keep the Kohlrabi for a couple of days in the fridge.
