# What can I expect from these vegetables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773 "2014-06-01T15:05:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/1 "2014-06-01T15:05:58Z")
I planted a couple beets and kohlrabi. The weird thing is these were vegetable that I bought from a farmers market last fall and never got around to eating. At first I had more then I needed. After a while I had to cut off dying leaves on the extras. Time went by and they were in the fridge so long I didn’t know about eating them. Then after a while they started to sprout again so I just left them in there until I could put them in the ground. They are doing good. Lots of leaves on them and one of the kohlrabi has blossomed. Will these second year bulbs grow into something eatable or will they be really woody? When do you know to harvest things that are growing underground? I don’t get stuff like radishes, potatoes or other things you can’t see ripen. Do you yank them out after a certain amount of time or is there some way to tell they are ready? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/2 "2014-06-01T17:35:00Z")
Resentment and a surly attitude, especially from the beets. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/3 "2014-06-01T20:21:53Z")
I’m afraid they’ll probably be inedibly woody, especially if they’ve started flowering. For vegetables that grow underground, you can normally uncover the top to get an idea of the size, and if it’s harvestable yet, some (like radishes) often start sticking out of the soil, so you don’t even need to do that. Potatoes are a bit trickier, but sometimes you can work it out from the top growth: some varieties are ready when they flower (though not all do flower), some you wait until the foliage has started to die back, and if you’re not sure, you can just carefully dig around the plant, and check the tuber size without severing it from the plant. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/4 "2014-06-02T08:14:06Z")
The edible part of kohlrabi doesn’t grow underground. It’s a swollen stem that grows above ground. Neither beets nor kohlrabi divide underground into more roots or stems than you started with. That is, they’re not like potatoes. These plants are grown from seed. You could let your plants flower and sow the seeds (or let the plants drop their seed with the hope that they’ll germinate). However, if you’re starting with an F1 (i.e. first generation) hybrid, there’s no telling what kind of plants you’ll get. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/5 "2014-06-03T07:52:30Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Resentment and a surly attitude, especially from the beets. I was going to say they’ll sit around and vegetate but I like your answer better. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-expect-from-these-vegetables/689773/6 "2014-06-05T18:42:27Z")
Thanks for the help everyone. > [@Chefguy](#): > > Resentment and a surly attitude, especially from the beets. If you got to know beets you would realize just how sweet they can be. Now if this was a horseradish, then I’d be in for it. They’ve got a hot temper. > [@Filbert](#): > > I’m afraid they’ll probably be inedibly woody, especially if they’ve started flowering. > > For vegetables that grow underground, you can normally uncover the top to get an idea of the size, and if it’s harvestable yet, some (like radishes) often start sticking out of the soil, so you don’t even need to do that. > > Potatoes are a bit trickier, but sometimes you can work it out from the top growth: some varieties are ready when they flower (though not all do flower), some you wait until the foliage has started to die back, and if you’re not sure, you can just carefully dig around the plant, and check the tuber size without severing it from the plant. Thanks for the tips. If nothing else I suppose I can still eat the leaves in salads or something. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > The edible part of kohlrabi doesn’t grow underground. It’s a swollen stem that grows above ground. > > Neither beets nor kohlrabi divide underground into more roots or stems than you started with. That is, they’re not like potatoes. These plants are grown from seed. You could let your plants flower and sow the seeds (or let the plants drop their seed with the hope that they’ll germinate). However, if you’re starting with an F1 (i.e. first generation) hybrid, there’s no telling what kind of plants you’ll get. Oi! I should have known that about kohlrabi. I lifted them up a little. I’m not sure if that will do them more harm then good now. They looked like they were settled in pretty good. > [@furryman](#): > > I was going to say they’ll sit around and vegetate but I like your answer better. Plants are patient. They will wait for months for whoever turnips.