Get a Free Garden Planner Trial!
Try out our Garden Planner with a free 7-day trial—ample time to plan your dream garden!
Growing Kale
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Kale
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Kale
Kale is a hardy, cool-season green that is part of the cabbage family. It grows best in the spring and fall and can tolerate fall frosts. Here’s how to grow kale in your garden.
Kale can be used in salads or simply as a garnish. Kale has a number of health benefits, as it is rich in minerals and vitamins A and C.
Planting
- You can plant kale at any time, 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 1-½ cups of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil.
- Plant the seeds ¼ to ½ 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/Diseases
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.
- Kale will continue growing until it’s 20 degrees F. It tastes even sweeter with a touch of frost. (See local frost dates.)
- If you wish to extend your harvest, shield your kale from the cold with row covers. Or, create a makeshift cover with tarps and old blankets propped up by hay bales. Here are a few more season-extending ideas.
- 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 tough 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 is frost tolerant.
- ‘Red Russian’, which has red, tender leaves and is an early crop.
Wit & Wisdom
- The chill of a moderate frost or light snow improves the flavor of kale.
- Embrace your leafy greens! Learn more about the health benefits of eating greens and about growing other popular salad greens.
Recipes
Cooking Notes
Many people dislike kale because it is so crunchy and dry. It sounds odd, but a great way to make kale more tasty is to massage it!
Kale also makes a great compliment to spinach in a salad (watch this video for great kale salad ideas), and kale chips can be a tasty treat. Find out more about kale and spinach.
Growing Kale
| Botanical Name | Brassica oleracea acephala |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Vegetable |
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Soil Type | Loamy |
| Soil pH | Neutral to Slightly Alkaline |
| Bloom Time | Varies |
| Flower Color | |
| Hardiness Zones | |
| Special Features |
FREE BEGINNER'S GARDEN GUIDE!
BONUS: You’ll also receive our Almanac Companion newsletter!
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
Does anyone know if you can
Does anyone know if you can pickle kale seed pods? I know you can do it with radish pods quite successfully, but I let a handful of my kale plants go to flower so the bees had something to eat and now I have a bunch of seed pods... curious as to how they would taste and wonder if there is any reason I shouldn't try...
my kale is has a tall flower
my kale is has a tall flower coming out at the top. my brocolli does too. do i cut and start over can igather seeds somehow
Kale will grow a long seed
Kale will grow a long seed pod near the flowers - the seeds don't live in the flower itself. Wait until the pods have grown to their fullest size and started to dry - then you can snip them, split the pod and find the seeds inside. These can be replanted.
Can I start my kale in a pot
Can I start my kale in a pot when it is very little and then transplant it in my garden when it is bigger.
Kale should transplant
Kale should transplant successfully, yes.
Hello! Sirs/Ma'mes Can I get
Hello!
Sirs/Ma'mes
Can I get seeds to plant kale in India. I am resident of Udaipur, Raasthan, India, where winter is very pleasant and sometimes temperature reaches to 4-5 degree centigrade (Low) but during summer it can reach at high of 44-45 degrees.
How much kale per sq.
How much kale per sq. Foot?
Thanks.
Jesus Christ loves YOU, kaleisgood
I'd just plant one per square
I'd just plant one per square foot, maybe two if you are disciplined. Kale can get huge.
The rest of my kale garden
The rest of my kale garden froze pretty harshly...can I still harvest and cook it?
Mild frosts tend to improve
Mild frosts tend to improve the flavor of kale but a hard freeze is likely to chill the life out of it. You might look for a few good leaves under the top ones, Diane, but from what you've described, we would not expect much, if anything, to harvest and cook.
In future, pick in advance of a hard freeze, steam to wilt, and pack to put into the freezer for use in soups and stews through the year.
My plants were great all
My plants were great all spring,summer and fall.Prior to reading your blog this morning I pulled all my plants.Should i replant the plants or just move forward to replanting new plants this spring. I guess I'm asking would these plants survive a harsh winter and re-flower this coming spring.I live in the northeast near Philadelphia.
Don't bother to replant the
Don't bother to replant the kale, Ron. It's an annual and would not restart. Hopefully you pulled any "good" leaves and saved them to eat in whatever way you like best.
Next year, grow them again—but in a different place; remember to rotate for best results!
I'm still a new gardener, but
I'm still a new gardener, but finishing my first serious season, and I feel like I'm raising more questions than vegetables... The lacinato kale I planted in an 8" deep raised bed (SFG method) last spring is still going well, having survived several barrages of various bugs/worms. The plants look like trees now, with "trunks" where the lower leaves have been harvested, and new leaves continuing to come out the tops. Can it continue through the fall, maybe even into the winter, or would it be better to start another crop? If better to start with new plants now, in late August, should I plant them in a different location? And if so, is there a particularly good fall crop to follow in this space after brassicas? Thanks!
Hi Ellen, Sounds like you
Hi Ellen,
Sounds like you have a wonderful kale crop. If the plants are healthy and growing new leaves there is no need to start new plants. The plants you have are well established and will continue to grow into the winter months.
I think i accidently grew
I think i accidently grew kale with kale seeds and the stems are purple and the leaves are green i dont know if its a weed or kale
Hi Ethan, There are so many
Hi Ethan, There are so many varieties of kale that any of us might get confused! Some kale has purple stems (such as Redbor Kale). Here's an interesting page that shows pictures of different kale varieties if that helps! http://ecolocalizer.com/2012/0...
What can I use to deter pests
What can I use to deter pests chewing small holes in the kale leaves?!
The Diamondback moth larva
The Diamondback moth larva makes small holes in kale leaves. Cabbage worms can also be a problem.B.t. insecticide will control all the cabbage caterpillars.
this comment section is/and
this comment section is/and has been so helpful.
many of my questions are answered before i ask.
thank you.
We are glad you find the
We are glad you find the information helpful, Gerard. Good luck in the garden!
Hi. I grew purple kale this
Hi.
I grew purple kale this year in 15" pots from seedlings picked up at the local nursery. The plants did great until I harvested for the first time. I left a few good leaves on each plant and they've pretty much all wilted and died. The ones with a few robust green leaves still on them only have about an inch of root left. Can these be brought back to life? How? Thx.
My purple kale in squamish BC
My purple kale in squamish BC has done amazing all winter. now with flowers opening up in top will those flower buds act as seeds? I cut down the stalks but left the stem and roots with a few little growths. I tryed planting the flower buds as seeds. will I have any luck with any of these trials?
Hi Nigel, Flowers are the
Hi Nigel,
Flowers are the first step on the way to seeds. The bees need to pollinate the flowers for them to be able to form seeds. I wouldn't bother planting the flowers. The stem and roots may produce something--it depends upon a number of things.
I had some insect on my kale
I had some insect on my kale last year, all over
Do not know what the were bit ugly and
I pulled out my kale plants. Any recommendation
how to get rid of insects on kale. A
There are a variety of
There are a variety of insects that love kale. See the pests mentioned above to identify.
By mid-summer, my kale was
By mid-summer, my kale was wormy & bitter. I cut it down to about 6" tall & removed any remaining leaves. It leafed out again & I had a nice fall crop. Dispose of the leaves (& worms). Don't try to compose them.
Good guidance. Can kale grow
Good guidance. Can kale grow indoors without direct sunlight?
Hi Ratna, I've never tried
Hi Ratna,
I've never tried it myself, but you might be able to grow it under grow lights.
I grow kale & Swiss chard
I grow kale & Swiss chard under a grow light & use the small leaves in green salads to accompany my grow-light lettuce.
Kale will grow in low light
Kale will grow in low light conditions, just not very fast. I threw old plants that were going to seed under my deck and they grew. You may need some light to get the seedlings going. I've also grown red Russian and curly kale in pots. Again, much lower yield but if you've got the space, still work it.
Pages