White Vienna Kohlrabi Seeds (Brassica oleracea gongylodes), 2 pack x 300 seeds, Su Hao, a Cool-Season Heirloom Vegetable Grown for its Crisp, Mild, Turnip-Like Swollen Stem, Non-GMO Seeds for Fresh, Steamed or Roasted Use

White Vienna Kohlrabi Seeds grow a classic cool-season kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea, Gongylodes Group), the old, dependable White Vienna type, widely known by the Vietnamese name su hao. This is a seed packet for planting, not fresh kohlrabi, a seedling, a printed growing booklet, or a harvested vegetable.

Product Details

Kohlrabi is one of those slightly unusual, very rewarding vegetables: it is grown not for a root or a leaf but for a rounded, pale-green, swollen stem that sits on top of the soil, with leafy stalks rising from it. That stem is crisp and juicy with a mild, sweet, turnip-like flavour, milder and sweeter than turnip itself, and it is lovely eaten raw in sticks, salads, and slaws, or steamed, roasted, added to stir-fries, or dropped into soups and stews. It is a firm favourite in Vietnamese kitchens as su hao, and it suits home vegetable gardeners, small-space and container growers, and cooks who want a quick, crunchy brassica.

It is an easy, fast cool-season crop, which is much of its appeal. It is frost-hardy and grows best in the cooler parts of the year, so it is sown in early spring for a summer picking or in late summer for an autumn crop, in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil kept steadily moist, since it does not like to dry out. Sow the seed shallowly, then thin or space the young plants a few inches apart so each has room to swell.

The single most important tip is to harvest it young. Kohlrabi is at its best when the swollen stem is only a couple of inches or so across, when it is tender, crisp, and sweet; left to grow too large it turns tough, woody, and fibrous, so it pays to pick promptly rather than waiting for size.

It is a poor fit for a few situations. It is not a warm-season crop for the heat of summer, not a plant you harvest at maximum size, and it is grown here from seed rather than sold as a plant. Gardeners wanting a hot-season vegetable or an instant harvest should choose something else.

Sowing is easy and quick in cool conditions. Direct-sow the seed about a quarter-inch deep once the soil has reached somewhere around 45 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and it germinates fast, usually in about five to fourteen days. Thin or space the young plants roughly four to eight inches apart in rows about twelve to eighteen inches apart, giving each room to swell its stem without crowding.

It is genuinely fast, which is much of the appeal. Most White Vienna plants are ready in only about fifty to sixty-five days from sowing, so it slots neatly into gaps in the plot and into the cool shoulders of the year. Sow in early spring for an early-summer picking and again in late summer for an autumn crop, keeping it out of the peak heat that spoils its texture.

Consistent moisture is the quiet key to quality. Kohlrabi wants steady, even watering in fertile soil; a check from drought followed by a sudden drink tends to crack the swollen stem or leave it fibrous, while unbroken growth keeps it crisp and sweet. A mulch to hold moisture and an occasional feed keep that steady growth going.

For a continuous supply, sow little and often. A fresh short row every couple to three weeks through the cool seasons keeps tender young bulbs coming rather than a glut all at once, which matters because kohlrabi is really at its best picked young and does not hold indefinitely in good condition in the ground.

A little pest protection helps this brassica. Young plants are a favourite of flea beetles, which pepper the leaves with tiny holes, and of cabbage-white caterpillars; a floating row cover laid over the bed from sowing is the simplest defence, keeping both off while the plants establish, and it doubles as a little weather buffer in the shoulder seasons.

In the kitchen the swollen stem is wonderfully versatile. Peeled of its slightly tough skin, the crisp, pale flesh is mild, sweet, and faintly peppery, closer to a broccoli stem or a mild radish than to turnip; it is lovely raw in sticks, slaws, and salads, and equally good steamed, roasted, sauteed, stir-fried, or dropped into soups and stews. The young leaves need not be wasted either, and can be washed and cooked much like kale or other greens.

In Vietnamese kitchens it is the familiar su hao, a staple of cool-season cooking that goes into clear soups such as canh su hao, into quick stir-fries, and into pickles and fresh salads. Its crunch and mild sweetness take on other flavours easily, which is a large part of why it is such a well-loved everyday vegetable.

It also grows happily in containers, so it suits balconies and small plots. A roomy, fairly deep pot of fertile, free-draining mix, kept consistently moist and in good light, will produce tender bulbs just as well as open ground, and the compact plants make good use of the space. However it is grown, the golden rule holds: keep it moving and pick it young.

It is worth a word on what you are actually growing, since kohlrabi puzzles first-timers. The edible part is neither root nor fruit but a swollen section of stem that balloons just above the soil, ringed with the stalks of its leaves, so the plant sits like a small pale globe on legs. The name itself comes from the German for cabbage-turnip, which neatly captures a vegetable that eats like the sweet, crisp heart of both.

White Vienna is the classic pale-green, or so-called white, kohlrabi, an old, dependable, quick variety that has stayed popular for good reason; there are purple-skinned kinds too, but they share the same white flesh and the same growing needs, so the choice is really about looks. Being early and reliable, White Vienna is a sensible pick for a first attempt or a dependable staple.

Once picked it keeps reasonably well. The trimmed bulbs store for a couple of weeks or more in the fridge or a cool place, holding their crunch, and the flavour stays mild and sweet rather than growing strong the way some brassicas do. In the kitchen a swift peel to remove the fibrous skin is the only real preparation it needs before it is sliced, grated, or diced.

Handle it as a quick, cool-season vegetable project rather than a fixed harvest, since germination, stem size, and tenderness depend on the season, soil, moisture, and timely picking. Keep unused seed cool, dry, and sealed, and follow the packet directions for sowing depth, spacing, and timing.

Product Highlights

• White Vienna Kohlrabi Seeds grow a classic cool-season kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea), the dependable White Vienna heirloom widely known by the Vietnamese name su hao, grown for its rounded, pale-green, above-ground swollen stem.
• That crisp, juicy stem has a mild, sweet, turnip-like flavour, milder and sweeter than turnip itself, and is lovely raw in sticks, salads, and slaws, or steamed, roasted, stir-fried, or added to soups, and it is a firm favourite in Vietnamese kitchens as su hao.
• It is an easy, fast, frost-hardy cool-season crop that suits home vegetable gardeners, small-space and container growers, and cooks who want a quick, crunchy brassica, growing best in full sun and fertile, well-drained, evenly moist soil.
• Grown best in the cooler parts of the year, it is sown in early spring for a summer picking or in late summer for an autumn crop; sow shallowly, keep it steadily moist, and thin or space young plants a few inches apart to let the stems swell.
• The key tip is to harvest young, while the swollen stem is only a couple of inches across and still tender, crisp, and sweet, since left too large it turns tough and woody; it is a cool-season, not summer, crop, so store any spare seed cool, dry, and sealed.

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