If you want to grow something unique, try kohlrabi. The German root words translate to "cabbage-turnip"; this odd vegetable is neither, but it is similar to both. Like a turnip, its edible part is round; like cabbage, it has green leaves which attract cabbage worms. The edible bulb matures above ground and the leaves grow off the bulb, making it look like a space-mobile.

Like turnips and cabbage, kohlrabi grows best in cool weather; either very early in spring, or in fall. It will grow through mild winter days, but won't tolerate a hard freeze. If kohlrabi freezes, I harvest it immediately.

For fall crops, I prefer to start coles in flats on my screened porch, where cabbage butterflies cannot get to them. Since I transplant directly from the flat, I use deep flats—my husband built them from 1 x 4 lumber.

I make my own potting soil. I rake back fresh pine needles under my trees and use the partially rotted layer beneath. I sift it through hardware cloth to break up chunks and remove foreign matter. To each gallon, I add a trowelful of perlite to improve drainage. I place a two-inch layer of this soil into the flat. To prevent damp off, I use an inch of sterile soil on top. (Damp off is a fungus in the soil, if seedlings are attacked by it, they fall over—the stems rotted at soil level.)

Nancy harvests much of her kohlrabi when they’re an inch across, and all remaining kohlrabi when they are four inches across.

I sow seeds thinly (so seedlings won't be crowded) about six to eight weeks before my first fall frost. I lay a piece of glass over the top of the flat to preserve moisture.

When seeds sprout (within a week), I remove the glass and keep the seedlings watered. If late summer days are hot and dry, I may water more than once a day. Once a week, I add a soluble fertilizer to the watering can. I like fish emulsion for leafy plants. It drives my cat crazy to smell it, but it promotes healthy foliar growth.

Three weeks after sowing the flats, I prepare the garden row with a rotary tiller, then wait for a cloudy day. I lift a clump of seedlings from the flat and gently separate the roots. Since stems are fragile, I handle the plants by the leaves or roots. I set seedlings about two inches apart. I lay a soaker hose along the row and water daily until the plants recover from transplant shock and start to show new growth.

For spring planting, I sow seeds about a month before the last spring frost. My soil tends to acidity, and may need a dose of lime to bring it to kohlrabi's preference: pH 5. I use compost in my garden rows, but I could use a 5-10-10 mixture at a rate of about a pound per 50-foot row. I cover the seeds about a half-inch deep and keep the area watered until sprouts appear. When plants are a couple of inches tall, I thin them to two-inches apart. I spray all cole crops weekly with bacillus thurengiensis to decrease damage from cabbage worms.

I start harvesting kohlrabi bulbs when they are an inch across. I use young kohlrabi in salads—it doesn't need peeling at this tender stage. Slices or wedges are delicious—the taste is milder than a turnip, with a hint of apple flavor.

When kohlrabi grows to four inches across, I harvest it all before it becomes tough. I often shred kohlrabi into coleslaw. Sometimes I dice it and cook with a little butter, either stir-fried, or boiled and mashed. I sometimes use it in stew.

A one-dish meal using kohlrabi

For each serving, slice a carrot, quarter a red potato, and halve two kohlrabi. Add a couple of ounces of diced ham or smoked turkey and boil until carrots are tender. I like to serve a piece of cornbread with this.

To freeze kohlrabi for later use, I dice or slice, boil it for a couple of minutes, then cook and pack into containers.