🥦 When to Plant Kohlrabi

🥬 Vegetable
Cool Season

Harvest when bulb is golf-ball to tennis-ball size before it gets woody

📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone

Select your zone to highlight your exact planting dates. Dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates.

Find my zone
Zone Last Frost Start Indoors Transplant Direct Sow
Zone 2A May 30 May 2 May 16 May 2
Zone 3B May 15 Apr 17 May 1 Apr 17
Zone 4A May 8 Apr 10 Apr 24 Apr 10
Zone 4B May 1 Apr 3 Apr 17 Apr 3
Zone 5A Apr 25 Mar 28 Apr 11 Mar 28
Zone 5B Apr 18 Mar 21 Apr 4 Mar 21
Zone 6A Apr 21 Mar 24 Apr 7 Mar 24
Zone 6B Apr 10 Mar 13 Mar 27 Mar 13
Zone 7A Apr 5 Mar 8 Mar 22 Mar 8
Zone 7B Mar 28 Feb 28 Mar 14 Feb 28
Zone 8A Mar 20 Feb 20 Mar 6 Feb 20
Zone 8B Mar 12 Feb 12 Feb 26 Feb 12
Zone 9A Feb 28 Jan 31 Feb 14 Jan 31
Zone 9B Feb 15 Jan 18 Feb 1 Jan 18
Zone 10A Feb 1 Jan 4 Jan 18 Jan 4
Zone 10B Jan 15 Dec 18 Jan 1 Dec 18
Zone 11A Jan 1 Dec 4 Dec 18 Dec 4

Kohlrabi is the underrated brassica of the spring garden. It grows fast, tastes like a mild broccoli stem crossed with an apple, and is ready in 45-60 days.

Top Growing Tips

  • Start indoors 4 weeks before last frost or direct sow 4 weeks before
  • Harvest when the swollen stem (not a root — it grows above ground) is golf-ball to tennis-ball size
  • Larger than 3 inches means it’s getting woody and tough
  • Tolerates light frost; plant early for spring harvest and again in late summer for fall
  • Thin to 5-6 inches apart for proper bulb development

Companion Planting

Good companions: beets, onions, cucumbers, aromatic herbs

Avoid planting near: tomatoes, pole beans, strawberries

Harvest Timeline

45-60 days from transplant; harvest when 2-3 inches in diameter