I took advantage of our recent dry weather and did a little planting outside this week. First off, I got one of the beds behind the greenhouse worked up and planted 25 kohlrabi seedlings. I added compost and organic fertilizer and forked it all in before I set out the seedlings. This spring I am growing Kolibri, Beas and Terek which have all done well for me in the past. I will set out plants for the large Kossak kohlrabi in the main vegetable garden. That may seem like a lot of kohlrabi, but my wife and I both love it! We will use some fresh and I will ferment the rest for later use.
plug tray with kohlrabi seedlings
I started these in a 72 cell plug tray, which is what I have been using the last few years to start all my brassicas in. The plants get a good root system, and as long as planting isn’t delayed by the weather they don’t need to be transplanted to larger pots.
kohlrabi seedling
I set them out about 9 inches apart in the bed. I could plant the kohlrabi a bit closer together, but I tend to let them get a little size to them before harvesting and this spacing seems to work out well.
bed with kohlrabi planted
I also got the container eggplants potted up. I started these earlier than the main crop eggplants, and this year I’m growing three All-America Selections Winners: Fairy Tale, Gretel and Patio Baby. All three do great in containers, and should give us an early taste of eggplant before the main crop is ready. These smaller fruited varieties are especially tasty when grilled or oven roasted, which is my favorite way to prepare them.
Fairy Tale eggplant
After potting up the eggplant, I potted up another All-America Selections Winner: Red Racer tomato. I’m growing this one in a 15 gallon Smart Pot, and I will also set out a plant or two in the main garden later on. Red Racer has compact determinate vines, and is always loaded with red cocktail/cluster tomatoes. I’ll add support for the plant later as it gets bigger.
Red Racer tomato
I hope you have enjoyed this update on my planting activities. Next week I hope to get the rest of the brassicas planted in the main veggie garden. For more detailed timing information please see my Seed Starting and Planting Schedule.
