By Lois Barber
If you have never grown kale, you’ll find it’s easy to grow and quite rewarding to have in your garden. You can plant kale early in the spring and then again in late summer for a second crop. I often end up throwing away half-used seed packets of other vegetables, but kale allows you to make use of the leftover seeds later on in the year. The second crop of leaves will probably be tastier than the first, because kale is a cold weather crop, and the cool weather brings out a sweet, nutty flavor to this member of the cabbage and mustard family.
There are many different types of kale and some of them are rather ornamental, but don’t let their looks sway you too much about the variety of kale you plant for eating. Look instead at their maturing timeline. Some mature as early as 40 days, and some take as long as 76 days, almost double the length of time.
Kale will tolerate some shade, so if your vegetable plot has a spot that gets some shade, plant your kale there, and leave the full-sun spot for tomato plants. Space your kale seeds 8 – 12 inches apart. Although the 8-inch spaced plants might not reach the size of 12-inch spaced plants, smaller leaves are more tender. Regular watering and not letting your kale plants dry out from the time they are seedlings will also produce tender leaves.
Lois Barber writes and takes photographs for a weekly gardening column for the Republican-American newspapers in Waterbury, Conn.