Kale is a cold-hardy crop that can be planted in early spring or late summer. Cool weather brings out the sweet, nutty flavor of this highly nutritious leafy green. Dive into our Kale Growing Guide for information on planting, growing, and harvesting this hardworking beauty.
About Kale
Kale is a member of the Brassica family, like cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and other common “cole crops.”
In the spring, kale can be started from seed and young kale plants can be set out very early (3 to 5 weeks before the last frost). But in many regions, kale is best grown in autumn, when temperatures are cooler. Kale tastes better when the leaves mature in cold weather.
Kale is versatile in the garden, growing well in traditional garden beds, raised beds, or containers. It’s also versatile in the kitchen and a nutritious addition to salads, stir fries, omelettes, casseroles, and other dishes.
Reader Comments
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kale white flies
So I have a ton of the white flies on the under side of the Kale and the some of the leaves are about 12 inches long. Do I just toss the plant, or wait until fall to pick what I can of smaller leaves?
Its a curly green/light purple Kale. It is about 3 feet tall at this point. thank you so much!
kale problems
It depends on bad the whitefly investation is. We would remove the most heavily infested leaves, and complete remove any damaged plants or disease is just going to spread. Also, make sure you remove any nearby weeds which also act as hosts. There are organic Insecticides; contact a local garden center or extension agent for recommendations.
late start on kale transplants
I live in the Philadelphia, PA area and just planted kale and lettuce starts in a container garden that receives 6 to 8 hours of sun a day. Will they grow? Is there anything I can do to support its growth?
Lacinato Kale
I’m in NYC I’ve been growing my Kale since last spring I put Garden covers over them with hoops I did look at them some are surviving do you think they can last through out the season? Or do they die ?
Lacitino (dinasour) kale and sowing times
Hello!
It is August now and I would like a winter harvest of my kale, right now the seeds are still packaged, have not done anything as of yet, I want to start them in the egg cartons i have but is it too early to start sowing? Do the seeds come in clusters like the swiss chard? I planted? (which really need to be spread into a different growing basin, any tips?)
I looked up the first frost date for winter and it is December 11th and for fall it is November 12th.. When would you recommend I sow them in the egg cartons. (San Diego)
kosmic kale
Forgot in the previous post to say the name of the perennial kale cultivar is "kosmic." I got the initial plant from Territorial Seeds in Oregon.
perennial kale
About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a perennial kale in 4" pot. It has survived, thrived, and been divided numerous times since then. Takes cold & snow well. Milder flavor than cavalo nero ("dinosaur") and slightly more tender leaves. A nice ornamental as well as edible.
Re-growing Kale
So last year I had giant beautiful Kale plants. They overwintered and held out pretty decent. Then they flowered and went to seed. I meant to gather the seeds before they all fell but got sidetracked. So my dirt is full of Kale seeds. It's mid summer, July, here. Can I just stir some of what's on the ground into the dirt and water and have new Kale for the rest of the summer? Thanks!
Growing Kale From Seed
Hi Kristan,
As long as the temperature is between 60 and 85 degrees F, you can be fairly certain your seeds will germinate in the soil and sprout again!
free kale offer
A neighbor (novice gardener) has several large kale plants, though they look rather ragged in July. (Live in Tennessee). Says her daughter bought the seedling plants, but she is going to destroy them because they are not the 'curly kind' of kale she likes and are broad-leafed instead. I told her, well, if you're going to rip them up, i might try replanting in my garden to see if they'll survive the winter. (Read here that kale is a biennial -- and i'm non-discriminatory insofar as kale varieties go.) OK, she says, but lemme know in a week or so or they're gone. Worth the effort?
Free Kale
If you’ve got the space for it, sure! Try planting in a place that gets partial sun, as full summer sun may be too much for transplanted kale. If it survives, you should get more growth as the weather cools in late summer and fall.
Growing Kale from seed
I live in central France and, at the moment, we are in the middle of a Drought Crisis with daily temperatures in the high 30's/low 40's °C. I have an 18 metre long poly tunnel that I am watering with used bath water as the water table is so low. The tunnel runs, more or less, East to West with the beds going North to South across the tunnel. I mulch my beds with the old straw bedding from the rabbits / hens / ducks and most of the veg seems to be surviving.
The other day I was given a packet of Curly Kale seeds. I've never grown them before so I'm looking for pointers as to (1) when to plant the seeds and (2) how to care for them. Any advice greatly welcome.
Thanks in advance
Jannie
Kale
I live in SoCal and we don’t get frosts at all. Can I ‘simulate’ a frost by either putting the leaves in the freezer or dumping ice to melt around the leaves?
Kale & Frost
No. When the PLANT experiences cold weather and/or frost or snow, it responds by adding sugar to its fluids. The sugar acts as an antifreeze to protect the veins, stems and leaves from freezing. WE like it because it makes the leaves sweeter but the plant could care less what we think. Your putting the leaves in the freezer has no effect on the plant because you've already picked the leaves. Dumping ice around the leaves would also have zero effect. It's the roots and stems which are sensing the cold and producing the sugar. IF you were raising Kale indoors or in a greenhouse in water ("Hydroponics"), you could chill the water down to 33 degrees and stimulate the Kale to produce the sugar. But that would be a very elaborate and expensive way just to get sweeter Kale and would hardly be worth it.
Depth of soil
How deep does the soil in the raised bed need to be to grow kale
kale
Soil should be 12 to 18 inches in depth. Till the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches
Kale Plant
I have kale plants that have formed a cabbage above ground with roots in the soil and healthy leaves growing on the cabbage like kale leaves.IS THE CABBAGE EDIBLE and how to cook it.
Kale Head
Kale plants don’t typically form heads (the cabbage-like structure that forms in the center of the plant), but since kale is just a type of cabbage, it can happen! The kale head is edible, but I’m not sure how it will taste—it could be bitter or overly tough. Try a piece raw first, and if that’s not very satisfying, try boiling it (here’s a corned beef and cabbage recipe to try). Also, note that kale often tastes a bit better after a frost, so if you’ve got a frost coming soon, wait until afterwards to harvest the plant. Let us know how it turns out!
Is it safe to eat?
There is a tall raised flower bed at the back of my house that was built with a plywood or Particle board type wood wall faced with brick. The wood was sprayed with bug spray and hornet/wasp spray. I was not thinking about this when I got plants but I planted kale and strawberries in the bed. I don’t know if the sprays leached into the soil?? Are they safe to eat? Or are they all just a waste? Will they ever be safe? I am usually pretty picky about my own food and spray choices so I don’t know what to think about this? Any advice? Thank you
risks of plywood/particle board raised beds
Plywood may contain/be treated with copper azole. You can learn more about this here: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/smallfarms/toxicity-concerns-about-rai... Particle board is not mentioned on that page but we would avoid it. As for the bug spray you need to read the can/container; usually there are advisories on such products. Without knowing what chemicals it contains, we would only be guessing. That said, we would propose that you might be able to transplant the kale and berries. Hard to know how far along they are but if you get a new, safe, clean plot ready and get it done and then provide lots of TLC, you might have a harvest after all. We hope this helps.
What is Bolting (Kale)
Hello there,
We moved into our home a year ago and it has a lovely garden. One item is Kale and right they are huge plants and have a lot of flowers on them. From what I am gathering is that they are done? But I am not too sure what Bolting is? I was wondering if I need to cut them down and/or pull them out? They have survived all winter long and their leaves grew all year long. Any advice you can provide will be helpful
bolting kale
Kale is a biennial (2-year) plant, which means that it will produce leaves the first year, and then the next year (or sometimes late the first year), it will form a flower stalk. This stalk eventually forms flowers and then seeds; once the seeds mature, the plant dies shortly after. The act of forming that tall, central flower stalk is called bolting. Sometimes the bolting response in a plant can also be caused by other factors, such as temperature or stress. If your kale plant is bolting, and it is the second year, then the plant will not last much after the seeds form–you may want to pull it up and start over, unless you plan to collect seed (though if the kale is a hybrid, the offspring may not be similar to the parents). Once kale bolts, the leaves take on a stronger flavor, at which point harvesting usually stops. Hope this helps!
kale growth
Hi ,
I am new to gardening and moved into a house with kale already growing. Stem is over 4' height, small and sparse kale leaves between growth spurts and has long shoots with yellow flowers on the top. Stem is so long & heavy, its dragging on the ground or about to.
Do I cut the entire stem off? Do I trim?
Help...please and thanks.
kale has yellow flowers
If this is edible kale, the yellow flowers are a sign that the plant is bolting. If you have not already, cut the stems that you want and save or cook them. You can cut the flowers for a vase or leave them for appearance, but as an annual, the plant is almost done.
Kale flowers
Hi! My kale is starting to flower, am I supposed to pull the flowers off like for basil or broccoli?
flowering kale
If this is edible kale, it’s a sign that the plant is bolting. If you have not already, harvest any leaves that you want and save or cook them. Pulling the flowers is not likely to halt the bolting process—a sign that it is too warm for the plant to produce leaves. You can cut the flowers for a vase or leave them for appearance, but as an annual, the plant is almost done.
For a second crop this year, set out new plants in the late summer/fall. Kale like cool weather.
Kale Harvest
Hello, for how long can I keep harvesting the bottom leaves?
how long to harvest?
You can harvest the leaves as long as the taste is appealing. After the plant bolts (sends up flowers) the leaves may become bitter.
Kale plant
I purchased a kale plant and it was growing; however, can I plant it outdoors (I live in MN) and will it survive the winter,or should I just toss it and purchase a plant or seeds next spring?
kale
Kale can take a light frost. In fact, kale is best in the fall after exposed to a few light frosts. However, it won’t survive freezes outside so it’s best to pick the leaves. You can always blanch and freeze to store over the winter. Plant new seeds in the spring.
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