Technical Factsheet: Organic Kohlrabi Growing (Brassica oleracea)

How to succeed and make money growing kohlrabi, also known as cabbage turnip. This is a crop with significant economic potential for farmers, with low production costs and high profitability. Grown in Cameroon and elsewhere, here is a technical factsheet to help you get started more easily.

I- SETTING UP THE NURSERY FOR CABBAGE GROWING

-Preparing a shaded nursery in the form of raised beds using light, well-loosened soil is the first step to success.

-Then add compost or well-dried chicken droppings to this soil. For example, for a 5m2 bed (5m x 1m), you'll need to add 15 kg of chicken droppings or manure.

-Trace parallel lines about 1 cm deep, spaced 20 cm apart.

-Sow the seeds, avoiding contact between seeds within the same line (2 to 3 cm apart), cover with a thin layer of soil about 0.5 cm thick, and lightly firm it down.

Water regularly, once a day.

NB:

• Note that about 200 m2 of nursery area and about 400g of seed are needed per hectare of planting.
• Germination occurs about 1 to 2 weeks after sowing.
• The seedlings stay in the nursery for 40 days, i.e. 3 weeks. After this period, the seedlings are ready to be transplanted.

II- TRANSPLANTING CABBAGE INTO THE FIELD

The plot is chosen even before setting up the nursery. Knowing in advance when the seedlings will be ready for transplanting, the key task is to make sure the plot is ready to receive them about a week beforehand. To achieve this, several operations need to be carried out:

-Clear the land,

-Make 1 m ridges and transplant at 50 cm x 40 cm in any season.

-Keep a spacing of 50cm between rows, and 40cm between plants within the same row.

Add 1/2 kg of chicken droppings or well-decomposed manure and 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate to each planting hole, and mix well with the soil.

After 6 to 7 weeks in the nursery, the seedlings are about 15 to 20cm tall with 4 to 5 leaves, and can be transplanted.

Transplanting should be done in cool weather, preferably in the afternoon from 4 pm onward.

Place one healthy seedling in each hole, previously trimmed (old roots removed).

Then water generously.

With a spacing of 50cm x 40cm, an average density of 50,000 plants per hectare is achieved in a pure stand.

ALSO SEE: How to grow organic cucumbers

III- MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF CABBAGE

These operations consist of watering, weeding and hoeing, applying fertilizers, and protecting the crop against diseases and pests.

Watering:

In vegetable growing in general, and cauliflower production in particular, regular watering is needed, especially during the dry season, to keep the soil cool and moist but not waterlogged throughout the growing cycle. On the other hand, avoid very wet soil, which encourages Phytophthora, which can cause root and collar rot.

It's worth knowing that cauliflower doesn't tolerate excess water, which can suffocate the plants as the roots become waterlogged.

Watering should be done daily or every two days during fruit swelling, since at this stage the fruits need a lot of water to develop properly.

Weeding and hoeing:

Cauliflower copes very poorly with weed competition. That's why the field must be weeded and hoed frequently. These two operations are essential for achieving good yields.

Fertilization

As the plants grow, their nutrient needs increase. Since these nutrients must be available at specific times, split applications are strongly recommended to help the plants survive the vegetative and fruiting stages.

Plant protection treatment

IV- HARVESTING AND STORING CABBAGE

The first fruits are harvested about 12 weeks after transplanting, i.e. 3 months after transplanting, and this harvest can last 2 weeks. F1 hybrid varieties yield 20-30t/ha under optimal growing conditions.