Kale: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Kale

Planting

You can plant kale anytime from early spring to early summer. If you plant kale late in the summer you can harvest it from fall until the ground freezes in winter.
Mix 1-1/2 cups of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil.
Plant the seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep into well-drained, light soil.
After about 2 weeks, thin the seedlings so that they are spaced 8 to 12 inches apart.

Care

Water the plants regularly but be sure not to overwater them.
Mulch the soil heavily after the first hard freeze; the plants may continue to produce leaves throughout the winter.

Pests

Harvest/Storage

Kale is ready to harvest when the leaves are about the size of your hand.
Pick about one fistful of leaves per harvest. Avoid picking the terminal bud (found at the top center of the plant) because this will help to keep the plant productive.
The small, tender leaves can be eaten uncooked and used in salads.
Cut and cook the larger leaves like spinach, but be sure to remove the ribs before cooking.
You can store kale as you would any other leafy green; put the kale in a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator. It should last about 1 week.

Recommended Varieties

'Vates', which is a hardy variety and does not yellow in cold weather. It also has curly, blue-green leaves.
'Winterbor', which resembles the 'Vates' variety, but it is frost tolerant.
'Red Russian', which has red, tender leaves and is an early crop.

Recipes

Wit & Wisdom

The chill of a moderate frost or light snow improves the flavor of kale.

Comments

summer

Submitted by Anonymous

I just planted some curly kale plants. I keep reading that it is a cool weather plant. Is it too hot in the summer to grow kale?

Yes, kale is a cool-season

Submitted by Almanac Staff

Yes, kale is a cool-season vegetable that is grown primarily in spring and fall. For good taste, kale is best harvested before summer heat or after frost in the fall to avoid bitter leaves.

How to harvest?

Submitted by Anonymous

Do you just cut off what you need each time and leave the plant to keep regrowing or do you harvest the whole thing and it is done?

With kale, you can harvest

Submitted by Almanac Staff

With kale, you can harvest the outer leaves when they are mature and allow the smaller inner leaves to keep growing.

flowers

Submitted by Anonymous

Once the plant has gone to flower, should it be cut back ?

Yes, your plant has bolted

Submitted by Almanac Staff

Yes, your plant has bolted and it is the end of its lifestyle. It is probably too warm now. Replace this cool weather vegetable with a new plant.

Cut the flower buds off

Submitted by Anonymous

If you keep it from flowering, it will keep producing leaves. Pinch or cut the buds off.

freezing kale?

Submitted by Anonymous

Can kale be frozen, hopefully?

Yes, you can freeze kale. Wash it and cut off stems. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, then submerge in ice water. Spin in salad spinner and dry. Then, place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet or flat surface. Put in freezer until frozen. Then, you can shake into an airtight container.