Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes Group) 'Kolibri'

RHS Plant Profile

kohlrabi 'Kolibri'

Annual Biennial

A hardy annual grown as a vegetable. An attractive, compact, purple skin variety with pure white, succulent flesh and upright, green leaves. Best harvested and eaten when young as the stem becomes bitter when mature. Easy to grow and quick to mature in under 8 weeks from sowing

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Chalk, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Chalk Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Neutral or Alkaline

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Brassicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Brassicas can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, most are upright with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped, yellow or white flowers. The genus includes a number of species bred to produce food crops, such as cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape, as well as others grown for their ornamental value
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, light, non-acid, well-drained soil in full sun. Sow direct at a depth of 1cm and distance of 30cm between rows, thin to 15cm apart when the first true leaves appear. See Vegetable Cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to birds, cabbage caterpillars, cabbage root fly, cabbage whitefly, cutworms, flea beetle, slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to black rot, club root, downy mildew, grey mould, leaf spot