Kohlrabi microgreens: explained guide on growing kohlrabi at home

Despite the unusual name, kohlrabi is just a vegetable that has been gaining popularity lately. Eating a vegetable raw or cooked fills your body with vitamin C and vitamin B6. Let’s consider in the article how to eat a vegetable correctly.

Can you eat kohlrabi microgreens?

Kohlrabi microgreens are easy-to-grow food that is rich in nutrients. The easiest thing you can do is grow kohlrabi microgreens at home. We are sure that you will not be disappointed with this veggie.

Kohlrabi belongs to the cabbage family and is a full-grown vegetable. The name comes from the German Kohl which means cabbage and Rabi as spring harvest. The most valuable thing in this veggie is contained in its leaves.

They contain more nutrients than mature microgreens varieties. You need to collect fruits at the peak of development.

In addition to using substances with vitamin c, the microgreens contain elements such as antioxidants and minerals.

What does kohlrabi look like?

What does this mysterious veggie look like? Brassica is a genus of plants to which kohlrabi belongs. These include arugula, broccoli, white cabbage, cauliflower, and radishes.

Sometimes they are called cabbage or German turnips. The plant can be recognized by the following features: long, leafy, green stems. They sprout from white or purple bulbs. You can also find light green tones.

How to use kohlrabi microgreens?

Kohlrabi can be eaten in two ways: raw (eg in salads) or added to hot dishes (eg soups).

The microgreens are also a great addition to cold appetizers or sandwiches. You can add anywhere fresh herbs are needed. Raw and even boiled, this vegetable will not cease to be rich in vitamin C and vitamin B6. Next, consider how to grow kohlrabi microgreens at home.

Materials for planting purple kohlrabi

First, let’s see what tools are needed for growing kohlrabi microgreens. Most of them can be reused. They may be useful for other microgreen projects.

So, you will need:

• Seeds;
• Containers;
• Place to grow;
• Correct light;
• Shaker bottle;
• Scissors.

For microgreens seeds, we can go to a specialized store and ask for advice. They come in many varieties and each requires special care.

For containers, something not deep will do: any seed tray in the amount of 2 pieces.

A potting mix or coco coir is suitable for growing medium. They are ideal for growing microgreens.

For light, fluorescent lamps are suitable.

Kohlrabi microgreens seeds

So, there are three vital kohlrabi seeds.

1. Purple kohlrabi (Vienna);
2. Organic Purple kohlrabi (Vienna);
3. Early White Vienna kohlrabi.

You need to choose them with care, especially when it comes to color. If you are a Sprout People, try Sprouts to Micros. They are softer and plumper, as well as pleasant in texture.

Growing kohlrabi microgreens: materials

Most varieties are purple, but white ones can also be found. You can grow kohlrabi microgreens. You can even grow white kohlrabi seeds as a microgreen, but you’ll need Purple Vienna. You will get beautifully colored stems and great health benefits.

Kohlrabi microgreens need fine-grained soil. A potting mix is ideal here. Or, as we said, coconut coir.

This is a great option for your future microgreens as it retains water, contains nutrients, and is eco-friendly.

Lighting is also important. Microgreens grow very quickly and uniformly under the right light. The main thing is that the source was a foot away from her.

When the light shifts, like sunlight through a window, the microgreens will lean to the side and grow unevenly. Having a grow lamp for every microgreen tray is an investment that will pay off. Yes, it is considered an expensive material, but it can be used not only for kohlrabi.

Soaking for growing kohlrabi microgreens

Good news! Purple kohlrabi microgreens are small, hard, and rounded. Their size allows them to germinate quickly, so there is no need to soak the purple kohlrabi seeds.

How to grow kohlrabi microgreens?

You need to start growing kohlrabi microgreens by filling the trays. Take 2 trays for each plant culture. One must be with a drain hole and one is without.

Since the trays must be the same size, we suggest buying without holes. It will not be difficult for you to punch holes.

The initial stages of planting seeds

A pot with holes must be filled ¾ with a nutrient medium. When the pot is full, level the surface and put it in with a shaker bottle. Take fewer seeds out of the bottle. When done, spread the seed clumps with your finger. Fill them with the places with the fewest seeds.

The first stage

Sprinkle purple kohlrabi microgreens all over with your fingers or a shaker. You need to scatter close to the surface, as the seeds can bounce off the soil, and therefore fly out of the tray.

The second stage

The kohlrabi microgreens seeds should cover the soil tightly without overlapping (you’ll need about 20 seeds per square inch).

The third stage

Place the second tray above the first. This will warn the microgreens from the topsoil. The tray should sit on the surface of the soil.

Also, make sure the seeds are in total darkness and add a lightweight on top of the tray lid. The load must not exceed 5 pounds.

Extra

The seeds of kohlrabi microgreens need to be dried for 2-3 weeks in the dark. Wait until they germinate. 2-3 weeks is enough for Purple kohlrabi microgreens to grow young, strong stems that will lift the tray lid and weight.

What is the healthiest microgreen to grow?

After that, remove the tray and move on to the next growth phase. You have already started growing useful kohlrabi. All varieties of vegetables have health benefits: remember that the main thing is to start planting the seeds correctly.

And then all your microgreens will be healthy and useful.

Growing kohlrabi seeds

So, when you removed the lid from the tray, you may notice that the kohlrabi microgreens have turned pale and leaned over. No big deal: place the grow tray under the grow light.

Then start giving the plants artificial light: 12 hours every day.

They will quickly straighten up and turn into beautiful purple Vienna with green leaves.

Water your microgreens when the soil begins to dry out. But unlike other plants, kohlrabi microgreens need to be watered from the bottom, not from the top.

Plants are easy to grow, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t susceptible to bacterial growth and disease. Especially risky moments occur when the plants and soil surface are wet.

Watering of kohlrabi seeds

To water the microgreens from below, take a drip tray (you used it as a lid) and add a couple of inches of growing medium.

Place a microgreen tray and a podium in it until the soil is filled with water. It takes about 10 minutes, the soil should have an average amount of water.

You should end up with moist soil and completely dry micro greens.

How to harvest kohlrabi microgreens

Most microgreens should grow in a week. Typically a couple of inches high with nice green cotyledons. When the dark green leaves open completely, you can begin to collect them.

Kohlrabi microgreens are usually harvested within a week until the first full leaf has grown. If the harvest is delayed, the taste characteristics of the microgreens may become more bitter. The nutritional value will also change.

Also, root hairs may appear on the plant. But there is nothing wrong with that. With proper watering, they will disappear.

What is the tastiest microgreen?

Few people notice kohlrabi as a full-fledged vegetable. Someone even gave it the name “forgotten vegetable”. But you will be amazed at how tasty this plant is.

It belongs to the cabbage family and has been grown for centuries in Europe and Asia. It is also called “poor man’s cabbage”. This may be because it looks like a turnip but tastes like broccoli, giving you multiple flavors in one vegetable!

To make kohlrabi microgreens tasty, clean the gathered fruits well. Use kitchen shears to cut the microgreens in clumps.

You need to cut the stems a little above the soil level. Purple microgreens will not grow back after harvest. For this reason, we advise you to put the soil in a compost bin and use the bin again. But for other microgreens.

Food tastes best fresh (and home-grown!). Eat your microgreen crop immediately for the best flavor and health benefits.

Tender kohlrabi microgreens taste fantastic when added raw to salads, sandwiches, eggs, and anything you cook.

Taste and aroma of kohlrabi

1. The leaves of the vegetable at a young age are great raw for salad. Old leaves can be stewed or steamed. They taste like turnips.
2. The bulb is the main part of the kohlrabi. Its size significantly affects the taste. So, for example, smaller bulbs are sweet and tender. Larger ones, on the contrary, are more rigid and bitter. Raw chopped onion can replace radish. It is crispy and slightly spicy.
3. If you are going to boil or steam, then remove the peel. So, kohlrabi will become sweeter and softer in taste.
4. The stems are the crunchiest part of the kohlrabi. They resemble something between a radish and a cucumber.
5. And finally, Purple kohlrabi microgreens are delicate and mild in taste. A bit like broccoli. Someone describes it as a cabbage.

Purple Vienna storage

The name “Purple Vienna” may scare you off because of its unusualness. Also, the size of the vegetable may scare you. We hope this doesn’t stop you from trying out this delicious, nutrient-rich microgreen. The purplish color of the stem runs between the cotyledons, and some leaves may also have a purplish hue.

Store unused purple Vienna in the refrigerator. The vegetable keeps well if you remove the moisture. You can look at the seeds and check the surface moisture of the tray. So don’t sing or soak microgreens if you’re not going to eat them.

A sealed container will also work. Wrap the purple Vienna in a paper towel and place it in it. Thanks to this storage system, your purple Vienna microgreen crop will keep its fresh taste for up to a week.

Benefits of kohlrabi microgreens

If you have not yet decided to start growing microgreens at home, let’s pay attention to the pros in more detail.

1. Vitamin C and fiber, stimulate metabolism and promote healthy digestion.
2. Folic acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron are also good for improving heart health and for your blood pressure and help fight many diseases.

Side effects of purple Vienna

Microgreens are a fiber-rich product. And foods high in fiber can cause intestinal gas.

Therefore, a mature kohlrabi veggie, when added to food in its raw form, can cause gas formation.

Before eating, try to boil the vegetable a little. This will help to cope with gas formation, but not completely.

Hazardous substances inside microgreens

Also, kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable. In other words, it belongs to a group of vegetables that includes broccoli, cauliflower, and white cabbage. And these vegetables are also notorious for their side effects.

Kohlrabi microgreens contain raffinose, a sugar that is difficult to digest. But there is also good news. Expressing kohlrabi microgreens can make them easier to digest. This is because the outer shell of the germinated seeds breaks down, making their digestive system easier.

FAQ

Conclusion

So, kohlrabi is not a very common vegetable. For this reason, you may be intimidated by using it for food and, in principle, a test.

We hope you’ve found that these nutritious and flavorful microgreens are easy to grow. Its vibrant colors will make you want to try it and you won’t be disappointed in Purple Vienna. Try it and draw your conclusions.

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