Kohlrabi Live Starter Plants – Green Kossak or Purple Vienna

Start your cool-season vegetable garden with rooted kohlrabi starter plants. Choose green Kossak for a large-stemmed harvest or Purple Vienna for colorful purple skin and crisp, pale flesh. Both bring a sweet, mild flavor to fresh slaws, roasted vegetables, soups, and stews.

Choose Your Variety and Pack Size

• Green: Kossak kohlrabi, a variety prized for large, tender swollen stems.
• Purple: Purple Vienna kohlrabi, with purple outer skin and crisp, pale flesh beneath.
• Pack sizes: 5 plants or 20 plants.
• What you receive: Live, rooted starter plants for transplanting, not seeds.

Select both your pack size and color option before ordering. Green corresponds to Kossak; Purple corresponds to Purple Vienna.

Two Varieties, Different Harvest Sizes

Green Kossak: Grown for its ability to develop a larger swollen stem while retaining a tender texture under suitable conditions. Give plants ample room and check tenderness as the crop develops rather than aiming for a guaranteed size.

Purple Vienna: Best harvested young, when the swollen stem is approximately 2½ inches across. Its purple color is in the outer skin; peel it to reveal the pale interior. Do not apply Kossak’s large-harvest expectations to this variety.

Transplanting Your Starter Plants

Plant during cool weather, adjusting your planting dates to local spring or fall conditions. Gradually acclimate the plants to your outdoor light and weather before transplanting.

• Sunlight: Full sun, approximately 6–8 hours daily.
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil; a pH of approximately 6.0–7.0 is suitable.
• Spacing: Allow approximately 8–12 inches between plants, giving the larger Kossak variety plenty of room.
• Water: Water after transplanting and keep soil consistently moist without waterlogging it.

Growing and Harvesting

Steady moisture helps the swollen stems develop with a crisp, tender texture. Check plants regularly as they grow, and harvest according to the variety and tenderness rather than a single maturity date. Timing varies with plant size at transplanting, temperature, and growing conditions.

For Purple Vienna, pick young stems before they become oversized and woody. For Kossak, allow a larger harvest if the stems remain tender. The rounded edible portion grows above ground and is a swollen stem, not a root bulb.

From Garden to Kitchen

Peel the tough outer skin, then slice or shred the crisp flesh for salads and slaws. Larger pieces can be roasted, stuffed, or added to soups and stews. Refrigerate harvested stems and use while firm and fresh.

Growing results: Plant appearance, harvest size, and maturity timing vary with variety and care.