General |
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The tender young leaves from these rapid-growth plants can be eaten raw, or cooked for soup or stir-fries. Kale is a cold-hardy plant with a continual harvest that can last right through snow. Many coloured varieties are a fine addition to ornamental plantings as well as spectacular garnishes.
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Latin |
Brassica oleracea var. acephala
Brassicaceae family.
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Difficulty |
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Easy.
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Season & Zone |
Season: Cool season.
Exposure: Full sun. Partial-shade preferred during hot weather.
Zone: Unknown.
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Planting Seeds |
Propagate Kale by seed. The germination temperature is 45º F to 85º F, although germination will occur at soil temperatures as low as 40º F. It takes 4 to 7 days for Kale seeds to sprout. Usual seed life: 3 years. In June, for your fall and winter harvest, sow a pinch of 4 or 5 seeds, 1cm deep (1/2"), on 60cm (24") centres. Thin to the strongest plant, keeping the kale watered and weeded. These plants will produce large, sweet leaves throughout the winter.
For summer harvest, start in April, either by direct seeding or raised transplants. Use as a "cut and come again" green for salad mixes, picking the leaves when they're about 5-10cm long (2-4").
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Preparing Soil |
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Kale likes well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. High rainfall areas will need an application of lime. Slightly alkaline soil is tolerated. This plant prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Drought is tolerable, but quality and flavor of leaves can suffer. Spread Gaia 4-4-4 Complete Organic Fertilizer over the bed before planting.
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Planting |
Similar to cabbage and other Cole crops, you can also set out transplants in spring 4 to 6 weeks before average last frost. Make rows 60cm (24") inches apart, and plants are 60cm (24") apart. Like other Cole crops, leggy transplants can be buried up to the bottom leaves.
Use floating row covers to help protect from early insect infestations.
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Diseases & Pests |
Pests: Cutworm, Cabbage loopers, Cabbageworms, Flea beetles, Cabbage root maggots, Cabbage aphids, Slugs and snails, Nematodes
Diseases: Clubroot, Black rot, Black leg, Alternaria
To help reduce disease, do not plant kale or other Cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
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Harvest |
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Kale can be continually harvested through the wintertime. Simply take what you will need from your garden or edible landscape. Cut individual leaves as needed: the smaller leaves are more tender when used as a "cut and come again" for salads. Big leaves can be chopped and used in stir-fries, soups and salads, remembering that they are most tender soon after they're cut, and sweetest after frost.
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Companion Plants |
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Bush Beans, Beet, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Onion, Potato.
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