Growing kale in your garden is a smart and affordable way to get this extremely nutritious (and quite pretty) vegetable on your plate. In fact, not to sound alarmist, but if more people knew how to grow kale, I don’t doubt that this audacious cruciferous vegetable could easily convince gardeners (and raw food foodies!) to put a few of their other garden veggies out to pasture.
|When to sow indoors||6 weeks before last frost|
|When to sow outdoors||Cool climates: late spring/early summer
Warm climates: early spring or late summer/early fall
Warm climates: winter
|Germination soil temperature||45° – 95°F|
|Germination length||5 – 7 days|
|When to transplant||4 – 6 weeks|
|Varieties||Starbor (resists yellowing)
Winterbor (winter variety)
Red Chidori (purple!)
Wild garden mixes (great raw!)
|pH range||6.0 – 7.5|
|Soil temperature for growing||60° – 65°F|
|Watering||Moderate to heavy, then light after first frost.|
|Nutrient requirements||N = moderate
P = moderate
K = moderate
|Fertilizer schedule||Every 2 to 3 weeks; use nitrogen fixing cover crops.|
|When to harvest||Preferably after a frost or two|
Looking for more information and inspiration?
Check out these tips for growing kale.
Image thanks to deedavee genderebel!