This alien-like vegie is down to earth and delicious, writes PHIL DUDMAN

Could kohlrabi be the prettiest plant in the cool-season patch? Perhaps it’s more apt to say ‘the cutest’. It actually looks quite alien-like, with its rosette of long-stemmed wavy leaves that protrude like antennae from a large, swollen bulbous stem. That’s the edible bit, and it can be purple, green or white, depending on the variety.

If you’re not all that familiar with the vegetable, it may make sense to learn that kohlrabi is a member of the large Brassicaceae tribe, which includes other bulbous beauties such as turnip, swede and radish, along with their less swollen siblings, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and others. It has a crisp, crunchy texture and a mild, sweet flavour, with just a hint of mustard heat. It’s great to munch on raw, and delicious shredded into salads or added to winter soups and roasts.

Like most other brassicas, kohlrabi is an easy edible to start from seed, which is the best option, as it’s not regularly available as seedlings. Prep your soil with plenty of compost, and sow seeds in shallow drills. Keep them moist, and they’ll come up in a matter of days. Thin or transplant excess seedlings, spacing them about 15cm apart. You can start seeds in punnets, too, in a warm, sunny spot, and plant them out when they’re established.

Kohlrabi loves a good feed, so dish it up a serve of organic fertiliser, sprinkled around the roots every four weeks or so, and water it in well. It won’t say no to a little liquid fertiliser, too, applied every fortnight or so. Keep an eye out for cabbage white butterfly. Pick off their caterpillars or spray them with an organic control such as Dipel.