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How to grow kohlrabi

Frost-hardy · Cabbage family

When to sow and plant

  • Start indoors 22 February – 8 March
  • Plant out 5–12 April
  • Sow outdoors 5–12 April

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Planting calendar for your area
Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

  • Start indoors: 6–8 weeks before the last frost (Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County: Beginning a Vegetable Garden)
  • Plant out: 1–2 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Kohlrabi in Your Garden)
  • Sow outdoors: 1–2 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Kohlrabi in Your Garden)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 2

  • Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean)Expert rule· C

    Legumes fix nitrogen that cabbage can use – but it is only released once their roots rot.

    C: Expert rule with a reason

    PeaSugar snap and snow peaBush beanPole beanRunner beanBroad bean (fava bean)

  • LeekExpert rule· C

    Leeks grow slowly; early kohlrabi is harvested before they need the space.

    C: Expert rule with a reason

    Leek

Disputed · 3

  • GarlicDisputed· X

    Charts call garlic a bad neighbour for cabbage. Field trials in China and India instead found fewer cabbage white caterpillars, aphids and diamondback moths.

    X: Sources disagree

    Garlic

  • OnionDisputed· X

    Charts call onions a bad neighbour for cabbage. A field trial in India found fewer diamondback moth caterpillars next to onions.

    X: Sources disagree

    Onion

  • White cabbage, Red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels sproutsDisputed· X

    According to the garden academy, early kohlrabi fits the gaps between young cabbages; BUND advises against other brassicas as neighbours.

    X: Sources disagree

    White cabbageRed cabbageSavoy cabbageCauliflowerBrussels sprouts

Gardeners’ lore, not proven · 3

  • RadishLore: good· D

    Considered a good pair; radishes are said to lure flea beetles away from cabbage. Not proven. Both are brassicas (clubroot).

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Radish

  • Black salsifyLore: good· D

    Traditional advice, not tested.

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Black salsify

  • PotatoLore: good· D

    Traditional advice, not tested.

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Potato

Crop rotation

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

  • The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
  • Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
  • If clubroot has appeared in the bed: no plants of the cabbage family for at least 7 years, not even mustard as green manure.

At a glance

Family
Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
Nutrient needs
Medium feeder
Frost
Hardy, tolerates frost
Spacing (row × plant)
25 × 20 cm (10 × 8 in)
Plants per m²
20
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
4 plants
Life cycle
Annual
Harvest
After 35–45 days from planting

Spacing according to Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018). Other sources: 30 × 15 cm (12 × 6 in) (USU Extension: How to Grow Kohlrabi in Your Garden); 20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 in) (Colorado State University Extension, GardenNotes #720: Vegetable Planting Guide).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out kohlrabi?

Plant out, average for Germany: 5–12 April. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant kohlrabi?

25 × 20 cm (10 × 8 in) (row × plant), according to Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018).

What grows well next to kohlrabi?

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean): Good neighbour (C), Leek: Good neighbour (C), Garlic: Disputed (X), Onion: Disputed (X) and White cabbage, Red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts: Disputed (X).

How long a break do kohlrabi need in the same bed?

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

More from the cabbage family

Sources

Show 17 sources
  1. Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
  2. Colorado State University Extension, GardenNotes #720: Vegetable Planting Guide
  3. UT Extension D59: Cole Crops for the Tennessee Vegetable Garden
  4. Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018)
  5. USU Extension: How to Grow Kohlrabi in Your Garden
  6. NYC Parks GreenThumb: Square Foot Gardening (Growing Veggies in NYC Training)
  7. Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County: Beginning a Vegetable Garden
  8. Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
  9. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
  10. Oregon State University Extension: Companion Planting (Guides for beginning gardeners, Juni 2021)
  11. RHS: Growing Your Own – The three sisters
  12. BUND: Mischkultur – Gute und schlechte Nachbarn (August 2026)
  13. Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz (DLR): Anbauplanung im Gemüsegarten (o. J.)
  14. Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz (DLR): Übersicht – Kultur verschiedener Gemüsearten im Hausgarten (o. J.)
  15. Miao, Gao, Jiang, Wang 2013: Effects of Intercropping of Cabbage and Garlic on Major Pests and Arthropod Community in Spring Cabbage Fields. J. South China Agric. Univ. 34(3): 352
  16. Sharma et al. 2022: Potentiality of intercropping in managing Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella). Indian J. Agric. Sci. 92(8): 1010–1014
  17. Utah State University Extension (Mohr, Trundle, Hagevik): Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens – Companion Planting (Juli 2025)

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.