[Seedgeeks] kohlrabi

[Ben Haskell]

Nick Routledge wrote:

>  ...we find Superschmeltz kohlrabi, aka Gigante, gets large and holds 
> up well through the mid-winter...

For my fantasy cross of tall marrow stem kale with kohlrabi, I have 
obtained Dyna (Sativa Rheniau ???  via Territorial), Superschmelz 
(Sativa Rheniau ???  via Territorial) and Gigante (??? via Nichols).  I 
have also seen catalog references to "Gigant", which I assume is the 
same as "Gigante".  Gigant has always been described as a 
"Czechoslovakian heirloom" while I always assumed that "Superschmelz" 
was developed in Switzerland.  Catalog photos of Superschmelz show a 
squat globe while some photos of Gigant show an elongated globe;  as if 
Gigant is already an intermediate between a short marrow stem kale and a 
kohl rabi.

So Nick, are you sure that Superschmeltz is just another name for 
Gigante?  Tim Peters grows Gigante (or otherwise offers seed); maybe he 
knows.

> Kolibri also does well.

Catalogs sometimes describe Kolibri as a hybrid.

> Am I right in assuming we are weak in kohlrabi diversity?

I would love to look this up, but it will take several months.  One 
source of diversity would be to check the catalogs of Asian veggies; it 
was introduced into Northern China, I believe in the 1800s, maybe in the 
1700s.