A few years ago I tried my hand at growing Konan kohlrabi. I had never eaten it before, but had heard tasty things about this bulbous swollen stem of a vegetable that is a cousin of broccoli and other cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, and the like). I’d seen them at farmers markets and grocery stores, of course, and thought, “Hey, this doesn’t look all that complicated. I’ll give it a try.”

From my recollection, my first and only foray into kohlrabi growing resulted in undersized specimens, and not many of them. I can’t recall if I had a specific reason why I didn’t try again the following season; but I didn’t, and I haven’t tried a second time since.

Konan Kohlrabi

This spring will be my second time, I’ve decided. All-America Selections, the national organization that trials new varieties of vegetables and flowers, has selected a kohlrabi variety as one of its 2016 National Winners. ‘Konan’ kohlrabi, they say, is a great variety first-time as well as seasoned kohlrabi gardeners for a number of reasons.

First, its size, shape and the upright habit of the stem and leaves (from 10-24 inches tall) are well suited for both container growing and garden plots. Second, those leaves are tolerant to insect damage, especially from cabbage worms and thrips. The longer those leaves stick around, the healthier those plants will be—and the bigger they will grow. And lastly, AAS says, the smooth texture of the bulbous stem makes it easy to slice and prepare in the kitchen.

Growing Kohlrabi

It’s a cool-season crop, so plan on sowing seeds of Konan directly into the ground two weeks after the average last frost date for your area. For multiple harvests, sow seeds again in two-week intervals. If you’re planting into containers, plant three seeds per 12-inch container. Alternatively, you can plant one transplant purchased from your local garden center per container.

For ground-sown kohlrabi, thin the seedlings to a spacing of 8 inches. Keep the soil moist and feed with a general vegetable fertilizer through its season. If planting transplants, expect Konan to be ready within 42 days. Crops sown directly from seed will take roughly 50 days.