White Kohlrabi
White Vienna Kohlrabi is a pre-1860 heirloom that brings crisp, mild sweetness to the garden in just 55-60 days. Unlike its purple cousin, this variety produces delicate white bulbs that swell to 2-3 inches across, topped by compact 9-12 inch plants. The tender flesh tastes like a gentle cross between cabbage and turnip, equally delicious raw or cooked, and packed with vitamin C. Grow it in full sun for the quickest, sweetest harvest.
Full Sun
Moderate
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Annual
Low
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This pre-1860 heirloom delivers surprising speed, bulking up in under two months with minimal fuss. The white flesh is crisp and refined, with a mild cabbage-like sweetness that works raw in slaws or cooked in braises. At just 2-3 inches across and 9-12 inches tall, it fits easily into containers and tight garden spaces without sprawling. Its compact growth habit and quick turnaround make it one of the most efficient vegetables for small-space gardeners.
White Vienna Kohlrabi works equally well raw and cooked, making it unusual among brassicas. Peel away the thin skin and slice the crisp white flesh into salads for a delicate, slightly sweet crunch, or steam and braise the whole bulbs until tender. The flavor is mild enough for raw platters yet substantial enough to carry butter, cream, or simple vinaigrettes in cooked dishes. Young, golf-ball-sized bulbs are particularly tender and are often the preferred harvest size.
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your last spring frost, sowing at a depth of 1/4 inch in sterile seed-starting mix at 65-70 degrees F. Germination occurs in 7-10 days. Transplant seedlings into individual pots once they develop true leaves and harden off over 7-10 days before moving outside.
Move hardened-off seedlings to the garden 2-3 weeks before your last frost, spacing them 6-8 inches apart. White Vienna thrives in cool weather, so earlier spring planting extends the harvest window before summer heat triggers bolting.
Direct sow seeds outdoors 2-3 weeks before your last spring frost and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall crop. Sow at 1/4 inch depth, thin seedlings to 6-8 inches apart once they develop true leaves.
Harvest White Vienna Kohlrabi when bulbs reach 2-3 inches across, typically 55-60 days from sowing. At this size, the flesh is most tender and sweet; larger bulbs become increasingly woody and less pleasant to eat. Gently pull or cut the bulb at the soil line, leaving the plant to potentially regrow smaller secondary bulbs. Young, golf-ball-sized bulbs are the prime window for harvest flavor and texture.
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“White Vienna Kohlrabi is a pre-1860 heirloom, a cultivar preserved from an era when home gardeners and seed companies were documenting the best vegetable varieties. It represents the kohlrabi breeding work of the 19th century, when gardeners in Europe were refining these unusual brassicas into reliable, flavorful crops. This particular white-bulbed form was selected and saved through generations, eventually becoming a standard offering in seed catalogs. Its survival to the modern era speaks to the value early gardeners saw in its speed, flavor, and elegant white flesh.”