The alien on the allotment

Well actually, it’s Duncan’s kohlrabi!

It’s a fast-maturing brassica that (apparently) can be sown as a catch-crop or inter-crop. The white and green varieties can be sown between March and June and for a late autumn or winter crop the purple variety can be sown during July or August – we didn’t know this, so we sowed white and purple together and they’ve both matured at once – go figure!

They need plenty of water in dry weather to prevent woody roots but because they are fast growing they don’t suffer from disease as much as slower relatives.


Kohlrabi taste best when the swollen bulbs are about tennis-ball sized because they get woody if left any longer. But with successional sowing plants can be harvested until mid-December.

Kohlrabi leaves are popular with rabbits and guinea pigs and have a similar nutritional value to cabbage leaves.

Labels: allotment-catch-crops, allotment-kohlrabi