Kohlrabi in July: the fast, kid-friendly star of the raised bed
Mild, crunchy, and ready in about eight weeks: kohlrabi is the perfect vegetable for kids — and mid-July is your last ideal sowing window.
In July, the first spots in the raised bed open up after lettuce and peas — so what goes in next? Kohlrabi is one of the best answers. It grows fast, tastes great raw straight from the bed, and keeps delivering fresh bulbs well into October.
Why kohlrabi is perfect for families
Few vegetables are this kid-friendly: kohlrabi tastes mild and slightly sweet, cuts into crunchy raw sticks, and makes a great snack right at the bed. On top of that, the bulb grows visibly above the soil — your child can literally watch it swell. From seed to harvest takes just eight to ten weeks, short enough to keep even impatient young gardeners hooked.
Mid-July is your last ideal sowing window
You can sow kohlrabi directly into the raised bed until the end of July, and young plants can even go in until early August. Leave about 25 centimetres between plants and sow just one to two centimetres deep. In summer heat, the key trick is keeping the seed row consistently moist until germination — a board laid on top or some shade netting helps on hot days. Sow in mid-July and you’ll harvest from late September. And since kohlrabi tolerates light frost, it can stay in the bed well into autumn.
Water evenly — or the bulb will crack
One care point decides everything: even moisture. If dry days alternate with sudden heavy watering, the bulbs crack open or turn woody. Raised beds in particular dry out quickly in July. A mulch layer of grass clippings or straw keeps moisture in the soil, and a quick finger test every day or two tells you whether it’s time to water. Nice side effect: mulching is a job kids genuinely enjoy taking over.
Good neighbours in the raised bed
Kohlrabi gets along well with lettuce, spinach, bush beans, and peas — lettuce also shades the soil and keeps it moist for longer. Next to strawberries, however, kohlrabi doesn’t thrive. One crop rotation tip: don’t plant it where other brassicas like broccoli, radishes, or rocket grew earlier this year. That helps prevent clubroot and tired soil.
Harvest before it turns woody
The bulb is perfect at tennis-ball size, around eight to ten centimetres. Wait much longer and it turns fibrous. The harvest itself is a highlight for kids: grab the bulb, give it a gentle twist, done. And don’t throw away the leaves — young kohlrabi leaves can be steamed like spinach and are packed with nutrients.
How Rootivo helps
Simply drop kohlrabi onto a free spot in the bed editor: the companion planting lines instantly show you whether lettuce and beans work as neighbours — and warn you if a brassica already grew there. You’ll find the full kohlrabi profile with its sowing calendar in the plant encyclopedia.
Im Lexikon: Kohlrabi