When to sow Kohl rabi in the UK
Kohl rabi is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Kohl rabi is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| South Coast and Channel | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| South East and Home Counties | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| East Anglia | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Wales and West Coast | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Northern England | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Northern Ireland | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to mid April | early March to early August | early April to mid August | early May to late November |
Growing notes
Harvest between golf-ball and tennis-ball size, six to twelve weeks from sowing, as older bulbs turn woody. Sow outdoors only once temperatures are above 10C, since cold checks make plants bolt; choose hardier purple varieties for mid- to late summer sowings.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 22
- Days to maturity
- 60 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.3 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 5 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- bolting
- clubroot
- cabbage white caterpillars
- flea beetle
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for kohl rabi.