Growing kale at home -
Also known as borecole, kale is a member of the cabbage family, a brassica. It is hardy and grows best in cooler temperatures — the cold weather gives the leaves a sweeter flavor. Kale is the original superfood. It contains fiber, calcium, vitamins C and K, iron and antioxidants, plus many other beneficial nutrients.
It is a versatile green that can be fried, steamed, and even oven-roasted to make a healthy vegetable snack. The young leaves can be eaten raw as a salad or added to smoothies. See: Kitchen garden ideas - easy ways to get started. To grow kale as an early summer crop, the seeds can be sown indoors in modules or seed trays in early spring, or sown directly into the ground once it has warmed up in spring.
For a fall or winter harvest of kale , plant out 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. In warmer areas zones 8, 9 and 10 you can continue planting through the fall.
If you prefer, you can soak the seeds in tepid water for 24 hours before sowing. This should speed up germination. In this clip from Gardeners' World , TV gardening expert Monty Don shows how to plant out young kale plants and advises trampling the soil with your feet to firm it.
This will help to hold the plants solid in fall and winter winds. See: Small vegetable garden ideas - from layout designs to the best crops to grow. You can expect to see your kale seedlings germinating in five to eight days.
Keep them well watered until you are ready to pot them on or plant them out. It is very easy to grow kale. If you're transplanting seedlings into your vegetable plot, allow at least 12 inches 30cm between each plant, and 18 inches 45cm between rows as they grow into quite sizeable plants.
Adding well rotted manure to the earth before planting will get your kale off to a good start, and you can top up with an all purpose liquid plant food to give it an occasional boost.
Amy Enfield, horticulturalist for Bonnie Plants, says: 'Kale is a fairly fast growing plant. The soil should be kept consistently moist which usually means providing plants with A regular watering routine will help to prevent the leaves from wilting in warm, dry weather.
See: How to grow spinach — in pots, indoors or in raised beds. Most kales are biennials, meaning they will take around two years from seedling before they eventually bolt and produce flowers and seeds.
Monty Don agrees, saying, 'The more you pick it the more fresh leaves come. To harvest, pick the oldest, lowest leaves first. Discard any that are yellowed or ragged. Take as many leaves as you like, as long as you leave at least four leaves at the top of the plant the crown.
In zones , kale will produce new leaves all winter long. Kale can grow just as happily in pots or raised beds as it does in open soil. However, the plants can reach up to two feet high when mature, so use a large pot — at least 12 in 30cm diameter — filled with compost mixed with grit to improve drainage.
Kale tastes best when plants grow rapidly and mature before the heat of summer or after fall frosts occur. Avoid water or fertilizer stress during growth. Irrigation should be deep and infrequent.
Control insects and diseases throughout the year. Harvest kale when the leaves reach full size. There are many good kale varieties for sale in local gardening outlets, on-line and through seed catalogs.
Most grow well in Utah. Starbor green; 55 days , Red Russian purple; 50 days , and Scarlet redleaf; 55 days have excellent production, eating quality and cold hardiness.
Kale prefers fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter for best growth. Most soils in Utah are suitable for kale production. Before planting, determine fertilizer needs with a soil test and then follow the recommendations given with the test report.
If fertilizer applications are warranted, work the fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil. If you fertilize with compost, apply no more than 1 inch of well-composted organic matter per square feet of garden area.
Kale can be grown from seed or transplants. Seeds should be planted ¼-½ inch deep and thinned when plants have true leaves. Plants removed at thinning can be transplanted to adjacent areas.
Transplants are used to provide earlier harvest. Transplants should have mature leaves and a well-developed root system before planting. Generally weeks are required to grow transplants to this size. Seeded or transplanted kale should be spaced 12 inches between plants in the row with rows 2 feet apart.
Kale grows best when temperatures do not exceed 75°F. Young plants are not seriously damaged by temperatures down to 25°F. Mature plants are extremely hardy and can withstand very cold temperatures. Transplants should be planted weeks before the last frost free date for the growing area.
Seeded kale may be planted at the same time. For fall kale, select early maturing cultivars and plant days before the anticipated maturity date. The maturity date should be about weeks after the first fall frost. Plants can be left in the garden throughout the winter to supply greens out of season.
High summer temperatures reduce growth, decrease quality, and cause bitter or off flavors to develop. Kale stays crisp in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Store it in an unsealed plastic bag with a damp paper towel.
Frost actually sweetens kale. This is the most cold-hardy of all vegetables and will take quite a few of the early frosts before a hard freeze, or "black frost" as it sometimes called, kills it in colder regions. In zones 7 and warmer it often continues to produce leaves all winter long.
Cabbage worm likes to eat kale. If you've noticed a white moth fluttering among the plants, that's the source of your worms. Spray kale with Bacillus thuringiensis Bt to control the worms. Bt doesn't affect humans or other wildlife. Bt targets worms, which die after ingesting it.
After you spray Bt, worms may take a few bites from the leaves, but they'll stop feeding and die in a few days.
Spray any time you spot the moths among plants. This herb is known around the world for its wonderful fragrance and flavor. The key ingredient in classic Italian pesto, Sweet Basil has big leaves that are fast and easy to grow so that you can make your own pesto to freeze for year-round use.
It loves hot weather, so always wait until all danger of frost is past before planting in the garden in the spring, then harvest before the weather starts to cool down in fall. Great for containers, but be sure to keep watered. If you were to grow only one herb, this should probably be it.
Organic varieties are only available at retailers. A native of the Mediterranean region and member of the mint family, rosemary is a lovely, easy-to-grow plant with great culinary and ornamental value.
A striking, upright evergreen shrub that is winter-hardy in zones 8 to 10, it fills the air with its fragrance as soon as you brush your hand across the leaves.
The key to growing rosemary is a well-drained soil that stays evenly moist at first; as the plant takes root it becomes increasingly drought tolerant. It is also excellent for containers, which lets gardeners in colder climates to bring it indoors in the winter.
Unlike most herbs, rosemary has a stronger flavor when fresh than when dried. Cut sprigs anytime for fresh use. Trim it regularly to encourage tender new stems or the plant will get woody.
It's hard to have too much rosemary. The plant has so many uses that it will be enjoyed all the time. Just a few cut stems will fill a room with fragrance.
Cherokee Purple seeds, originating from Tennessee, are thought to have been passed down from Native Americans of the Cherokee tribe. This heirloom tomato variety consistently ranks very high in taste tests.
Slice Cherokee Purple tomato for rich, dark color and unmatched sweet, rich taste on sandwiches or in salads. The tomato is a beautiful dusky pink with a deep, rich-red interior. Cherokee Purple grows well in most regions of the U.
Let the fruit ripen on the vine for the best flavor. This one is a consistent taste test winner at tomato fests around the country. For an heirloom, it is a good producer. In our Alabama test garden, where conditions are ideal and the season is long, we harvest and average of 20 or more fruits from each plant.
Vigorous vines benefit from strong staking or caging. Named for the town of Jalapa, Mexico, this is the most popular chile pepper in the United States. Jalapeño produces 3-inch, thick-walled, moderately hot pods with deep green color that matures to a bright red.
The skin may show a netting pattern as fruit ages, but it does not affect flavor. Often, the heat of the peppers will vary, even those from the same plant. If peppers grow fast, get plenty of water, and are harvested soon, they may be milder than peppers that stay on the plant a long time, or that develop slowly and under stressful conditions.
Widely adapted, jalapeño plants yield a bountiful harvest in dry or humid, hot or cool climates. The compact plants grow well in containers. Use jalapeño on nachos or in salsa, or smoke the mature red ones over mesquite chips to make your own chipotle sauce.
Jalapeño became the first pepper in space when a bag full of pods accompanied astronauts on the shuttle Columbia in November ! High yields of smooth skinned, large fruit earn Better Boy a spot as one of the most popular tomatoes grown in the US and as one of our all time best sellers.
The fruit has excellent classic tomato flavor with just the right balance of acid and sugar. This is a great slicing tomato. It is widely adapted throughout the country. Grow it in a tall cage or tie to a stake for support.
The indeterminate vines are resistant to verticillium wilt V , fusarium wilt F , and nematodes N. This super sweet cherry tomato is a best seller because of its flavor, productivity, and good looks.
If you like to snack on cherry tomatoes, this is a great choice. One of the popular "Husky" series developed especially for home gardens, the plant is stout, dark green and really pretty; it's one of the prettiest tomato plants that we grow. The vines are dwarf indeterminate, making them short and husky like a determinate type, usually between 3 and 4 feet, yielding clusters of tasty little cherry tomatoes in a small space over a long period of time.
Perfect for pots, too. The dwarf vines stay neat and compact, but give the plant a little support on a stake or cage to keep it upright in rain and wind.
Many juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes are borne on vines resistant to verticillium wilt V and fusarium wilt F. If you like the aromatic flavor of salsa served in Mexican restaurants, you'll like cilantro. The leaves have an instantly recognizable fragrance that fills a room when you cut them.
Sometimes called Chinese parsley, its distinctive aroma and flavor is also part of Caribbean and Asian foods, lending flavor to recaito, salsas, curries, salads, chutneys, herbed butters, and meat marinades.
Cilantro looks like flat leaf Italian parsley, but the leaves are thinner. It grows in a rosette of stemmy leaves that are ready to harvest shortly after planting. Young leaves have the best flavor, so be sure to harvest often. It is a fast-growing annual except in milder climates where it will overwinter.
Cilantro grows tall and blooms at the end of its life, usually after the weather gets hot. After it blooms, harvest the seeds--they are what you buy in spice jars as coriander, another common ingredient in Asian cooking. You can grind the seeds or use them whole.
Some gardeners also let the seeds drop to make new plants. Fall is a great time to grow cilantro in mild climates, as the plants are frost tolerant and love the cool weather in fall, winter, and early spring.
Bonnie's best hybrid sweet bell pepper! A heavy yielder of large fruits. A good all-round pepper for slicing, stuffing, and freezing. This bell produces lots of fresh bell peppers gradually over the growing season. Plants in our Alabama garden produce from June through October, yielding 30 or more peppers from each plant.
Your results will vary based on care and the length of your growing season. This is a good-sized plant, so be prepared to stake if needed. This Italian flat-leafed parsley has, of course, flat leaves, which distinguish it from the better-known curly-leafed parsley.
At first the foliage might be easily confused with cilantro. However, its flavor is distinctly parsley, and it is favored for its deep flavor, which some say holds up better in cooking than curly parsley. It is popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Easy to chop, the nutritious flat leaves are high in iron and in vitamins A, C, and E. A high chlorophyll content makes it a natural breath sweetener, too. This is a great plant for containers, especially for fall and winter in zone 7 and south.
Of course, you can also use it in vegetable and herb beds. In a flower bed it makes a nice, green leafy companion to small flowers such as pansies. It is also more tolerant of hot weather than curly parsley which can struggle during the peak of summer and is frost tolerant.
Sweet, juicy, nutritious red fruits add appetizing color to fresh salads and are superb for stuffing. Also great on the grill! The big, blocky peppers they average around 4 to 6 Ounces ripen from dark green to bright red. High-yielding plants are well adapted throughout the US.
Grow your own and avoid premium prices at the grocery store. Fragrant purple flowers on tall spikes bloom right from the first year, creating a striking complement to the silvery gray foliage.
You will love this plant, as the aroma is wonderfully calming. Ideal for drying and crafts, as well as fresh-cut bouquets. Use edible flowers, which have a sweet floral flavor, for baked goods and lavender lemonade, or serve with berries and citrus.
Shishito is a Japanese sweet pepper that produces handfuls of finger-long fruits. Usually used when green though also fine to eat when red , the peppers are thin-walled, making them ideal for tempura and stir fries.
Plants are compact and perfect for containers. Use one plant per inch pot. Prized for its use in tomato paste and sauces, Roma produces a large harvest of thick-walled, meaty, bright red, egg-shaped tomatoes about 3 Inches Long and with few seeds. This tomato is not juicy.
This is not a slicing tomato. Instead, the flesh is thick and drier so that it will cook down into a thick sauce. Cooking intensifies flavor, too.
If you can tomatoes, make your own spaghetti sauce, or like to chop a tomato into an omelet, this is a great choice. It's not too juicy in the pan compared to slicing tomatoes.
The fruit freezes well for later cooking, too. The compact, determinate vines are resistant to verticillium wilt V and fusarium wilt F and widely adapted throughout the US. When gardeners talk about the "first" tomatoes, Early Girl is always there.
This may be the most all-round popular hybrid to satisfy that itch for the first fresh tomato of the season. Use them for slicing on a place, into a salad, or on a sandwich.
This a proven all-round early hybrid. Use it to jump start your harvest. Early Girl bears lots of fruit for early harvest, but because the vines are indeterminate, they continue producing through summer.
In our Alabama test garden, where conditions are ideal and the growing season is long, we harvest an average of tomatoes from each Early Girl plant! Many gardeners plant it again late in the summer so that it will produce a huge fresh crop of "fall tomatoes" quickly before frost. Resistant to verticillium wilt V and fusarium wilt races 1 and 2 F.
Beefsteaks are always grown for their flavor and size for slicing and summer sandwiches. This variety produces large, meaty red fruit over a long season on indeterminate plants.
Because it matures late compared to many other tomatoes, it will provide a fresh harvest in the latter part of the season. This is an old favorite beloved by gardeners in the Northeast and grown throughout the country.
Vigorous vines grow best in tall cages. Resistant to fusarium wilt F and nematodes N. Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow. This one has extra large leaves that most cooks really like for chopping into sauces and drinks.
Our sweet mint is grown from cuttings of a variety that comes to us from Israel, where mint is used in many dishes, from lamb to yogurt sauce. We think you'll like the rich spearmint flavor of this variety. This plant can go a little crazy, though, so be careful or it can spread farther than you might like.
For this reason many people grow it in a pot. The long stems can even be trained on a little wire trellis, especially in spots where a a bit of shade causes it to stretch. Keep pinched to encourage tender new leaves. Mexico's favorite chile pepper!
When traditionally ripened to red and dried, this pepper is known as an 'Ancho'; it is also used green, as a 'Poblano', for making chiles rellenos. The thick-walled, mildly hot fruit have a rich, mellow flavor.
The name Poblano comes from the valley of Puebla, south of Mexico City, where the peppers were first cultivated.
This pepper produces continuously through the summer in climates with warm days and cool nights. This is a big plant, so give it the space it needs when planting: Set it at least 3 to 4 feet from other plants. Yellow, thick-walled, sweet fruits add appetizing color and vitamins to fresh salads, and are superb for stuffing as well as fresh use.
Plants can get quite large, so be prepared to support them, especially when carrying lots of fruit. Ripens green to yellow.
For years gardeners wanted a large, beefsteak-type tomato that was delicious, early to bear, and highly disease resistant. Finally in those wishes came true with Big Beef. The large fruit has old-time tomato flavor and the vines are resistant to many of the problems that can discourage gardeners.
The fruit is borne on vigorous, indeterminate vines from summer until frost. Compared to other beefsteak types, Big Beef is early and will set fruit reliably even in cool, wet weather. We harvest dozens of tomatoes from each plant in our Alabama test garden, where the harvest season lasts two full months and the growing conditions are very good.
It grows well throughout the country, earning it an All America Selections designation in ; it has since grown to be a national favorite. Vines grow long, so give the plant the support of a tall cage or stake. Resistant to verticillium wilt V , fusarium wilt F races 1 and 2, nematodes N , and alternaria stem canker ASC , gray leaf spot St , and tobacco mosaic virus TMV.
For gardeners who enjoy plant history and interesting facts, Colen Wyatt, the breeder of this variety, was one of the most successful home garden vegetable plant breeders in the last half of the 20th century.
He also bred Celebrity and Husky Gold tomatoes, which are both also AAS Winners. Named for its banana-like shape, this variety bears sweet, mild banana peppers that mature from yellow, to orange, and then to crimson red. Plants fruit prolifically, easily producing up to 25 to 30 pods per plant.
Banana peppers are great for frying and pickling, and are an excellent choice for making pepper rings for sandwiches. Great for containers. This is the classic romaine. Its compact, dark green rosette of tall, upright leaves is slightly curly with white hearts and has a crisp, sweet flavor.
Slow to bolt. Grows best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade and even appreciates it in spring in hot climates. A favorite of all thymes, lemon thyme is great in the garden and the kitchen.
Easy to grow. Although it looks like German thyme or English thyme , it definitely tastes and smells like lemon. Use lemon thyme in any recipe that calls for lemon, including marinades.
Lemon thyme grows vigorously, so you can trim back to keep neat and compact and enjoy the trimmings! The glossy green foliage is easily sheared into a tiny hedge if you are looking to create a traditional knot garden. Evergreen in zones 8 and 9.
This is a really pretty thyme that our customers brag about for its vigor and size. Lemon thyme looks great in a pot. Celebrity vines bear clusters of medium-large tomatoes that are prized for their flavor.
This is a great, all-round, dependable choice for your "basic" tomato needs -- sandwiches, slicing, snacks, and bruschetta. Gardeners love that the plants are quite resistant to disease, too. The large, meaty fruit with exceptional flavor are borne on dependable, strong vines that benefit from the support of a cage or stake to keep them upright, especially when loaded with fruit.
Celebrity is sometimes considered a semi-determinate tomato plant, because it grows to a certain height 3 to 4 feet but continues to produce fruit all season until frost. Resistant to verticillium wilt V , fusarium wilt races 1 and 2 F , nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus T.
Thyme is an easy and practical herb to grow. Highly aromatic, it enhances meat dishes, eggs, cheeses, soups, and sauces, and it is a primary component of both Bouquet Garni and Herbes de Provence.
Order Your Almanac Today! Kale is a hardy cool-season crop homw grows Herbal metabolism-optimizing tablets in Growing kale at home and fall, tolerating ohme Resilience training even snow. Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest kale. Kale is a cold-hardy, resilient, non-heading green. A biennial 2-year plant, kale produces leaves in the first year, and then, in the next year or sometimes late in the first yearit will form a flower stalk. Stress relief remedies I occasionally wt Resilience training chips, pesto, or use the young homd in a kale Caesar salad, I kal the leaves the most either steamed or stir fried, jome in soups. I Resilience training like to plant kale in my ornamental containers. Learning how to grow kale is pretty easy. Unfortunately its nemesis, the cabbage worm, can crush—or rather eat—all your kale-growing dreams very quickly. Here are some tips on raising healthy kale plants. There are many different varieties of this super-healthy member of the Brassica family Brassica oleraceato be exactwhich also includes broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.Kale is a cool season vegetable that akle a kae location and fertile, well-drained soil. Bome plenty of organic matter and Grrowing complete fertilizer Resilience training the area kkale planting.
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The maturity date should be about weeks after the first fall frost. Plants can be left in the garden throughout the winter to supply greens out of season. High summer temperatures reduce growth, decrease quality, and cause bitter or off flavors to develop.
Water kale deeply and infrequently while trying to maintain even soil moisture. About inches of water are required per week. Use drip irrigation if possible to conserve water. Applying mulch around the plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth.
Moisture fluctuations will cause leaves to become tough and develop off flavors. Apply ½ cup per 10 feet of row of a nitrogen-based fertilizer 4 weeks after transplanting or thinning to encourage rapid plant growth.
Place the fertilizer 6 inches to the side of the plants and irrigate it into the soil. Plastic mulches help conserve water, reduce weed growth and allow earlier planting and maturity, especially with transplants. Fabric covers are used to protect seedlings and transplants from frosts and insect pests.
Apply organic mulches when temperatures increase above 80°F. Organic mulches such as grass clippings, straw, and shredded newspaper help cool the soil, reduce water stress and help control weeds.
Plastic and organic mulches effectively control weeds. Be sure to control weeds when plants are small and be careful not to damage roots when cultivating.
View more detailed information on cole crop insects and diseases PDF. Kale should be harvested when the leaves reach full size. Older leaves are generally stripped off the plants first allowing the young leaves to continue to grow.
Frosts help improve the flavor of the fall planted crop. Many gardeners leave kale growing in the garden throughout the winter. Plant feet of kale per person for fresh use and an additional for processing. Expect pounds per 10 feet of row. Kale has no fat, is high in vitamin A and vitamin C, is a good source of calcium and iron and is considered one of the most nutritious of vegetables.
Published March Utah State University Extension Peer-reviewed fact sheet Download PDF. Apple Production and Variety Recommendations for the Utah Home Garden This bulletin presents appropriate information pertaining to growing apple trees in the home orchard.
Success depends on several key factors. Many homeowners who are new to these regions wish to establish perennial fruit crops in their gardens. Blackberries can be grown successfully in Utah but careful cultivar selection and care is needed.
Harsh winters and frequent late spring frosts often result in significant blackberry cane damage and crop loss. Broccoli is a cool season vegetable that prefers sunny locations and fertile, well-drained soil. Incorporate some organic matter and a complete fertilizer into the area before planting.
Explore the best varieties to grow in Utah, and learn how to properly care for the herb to get a great harvest. Comfrey Symphytum officinale is a very hardy perennial herb adaptable to most conditions.
Comfrey grows best in partial to full sun in moist, fertile soil. Comfrey is propagated by root cuttings or crown divisions.
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Close Quick Links. How to Grow Kale in Your Garden. Blackberry Management in Utah Blackberries can be grown successfully in Utah but careful cultivar selection and care is needed. Broccoli in the Garden Broccoli is a cool season vegetable that prefers sunny locations and fertile, well-drained soil.
Comfrey in the Garden Comfrey Symphytum officinale is a very hardy perennial herb adaptable to most conditions. Events View Events Near You. Learn More Take an Online Course Tips SIGN UP Find an Event. Green or black soft-bodied insects that feed on underside of leaves.
Leaves become crinkled and curled. Worms and loopers are light to dark green. Adult loopers are gray or brown moths while cabbage worms are white butterflies.
Worms and loopers chew holes in leaves and hide in kale heads. Small black beetles that feed on seedlings. Adults chew tiny holes in cotyledons and leaves. Beetles can reduce plant stands or may kill seedlings. Controls with appropriate insecticides at seeding or after seedlings have emerged from the soil.
: Growing kale at home| Often Bought together | Use herb scissors or snips to trim your kale. A popular Italian variety with dark green puckered leaves. Didn't care for that either. Set up a schedule for fertilizing your kale plants. The RHS Award of Garden Merit AGM helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden. I eat so much kale, I like to have lots of plants on the go, so I always have fresh leaves to harvest. |
| How to Plant and Grow Kale | General Planting & Growing Tips – Bonnie Plants | Their difference comes in their taste. Kale is generally stronger, with a bitter and earthy flavor. And chard is a much milder green. Expect to wait approximately two months for your kale plants to mature from seeds. Check the days to maturity on your seed packet or plant label for more precise timing. Spring-planted kale will be good for harvesting throughout the summer months, but it's especially tasty after a light frost. You can harvest young kale leaves to use fresh in salads or allow your plants to mature for use as a cooked green. Remove the older outer leaves, and allow the center of the plant to continue producing. Kale will keep in the refrigerator, ideally in the crisper drawer, for about a week. Kale is easy to keep in pots. Not only does this make the plant mobile so that you can move it into adequate sunlight and protect it from severe weather as needed, but it also helps to protect it from garden critters, such as rabbits, that might munch on the leaves. Select a pot with at least a inch diameter. It also should have ample drainage holes. An unglazed clay container is a good option because it will allow excess soil moisture to escape through its walls, helping to prevent root rot. Use a quality potting mix; an organic mix made for growing vegetables is a good option. Transplant your kale into the pot at the same depth it was growing in its previous container, and water it after planting. Though it's typically unnecessary to prune kale, you may want to cut it back to the ground if there is a pest infestation in the upper leaves of the plant. For kale that is trying to bolt, pruning will not slow down this process. You can eat the bolted leaves because they are less bitter than other bolted greens. Kale is most commonly planted from seeds or nursery plants, but it can also be propagated via cuttings. Kale does regrow after cutting, but it requires a specific propagation process. To pick kale to keep it growing healthy, cuttings must be taken from the oldest leaves. Growing kale from seed can begin inside or outside depending on your region. Kale can be direct seeded in the garden or started indoors and transplanted into the garden. You can direct seed in cold climates as soon as the soil temperature is at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Kale is a member of the cabbage family, which is notorious for attracting insect pests and for rot diseases. Kale is susceptible to black rot and clubroot, as well as aphids , cabbage loopers, cabbageworm , cutworms, flea beetles , and slugs. The best defense is to monitor the plants often for signs of eggs or feeding, such as holes in the leaves. Treat problems as soon as they arise. Kale can be grown indoors, though you'll likely need a grow light if you don't have a window that gets lots of direct sun. Cornell University Growing Guides. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Growing Kale: How to Germinate, Water, and Harvest From Seed to Leafy Greens Indoors or Outdoors. By Marie Iannotti. Marie Iannotti. Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles. Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process. Reviewed by Sonya Harris is an award-winning gardening expert with two decades of experience teaching and sharing her extensive knowledge about small space gardening. Reviewed by Sonya Harris. Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board. Trending Videos. In This Article Expand. Kale vs. Growing in Pots. Growing From Seeds. Pests and Diseases. Common Name Kale, ornamental kale Botanical Name Brassica oleracea Family Brassicaceae Plant Type Annual, biennial, vegetable Mature Size 1—2 ft. tall, 1—2 ft. There are many varieties to choose from, some with handsome foliage that's highly ornamental too, whether you're growing it in veg patches, borders or containers. Follow the advice in this handy guide to grow your own kale. Seeds can be sown in modules, indoors, or outdoors in warmer weather and transplanted weeks later. Seedlings should be planted firmly into moist but well-drained soil, in full sun to partial shade. Plants will benefit from adding well-composted manure to the soil before planting. And a good mulch is also helpful to keep plants moist and weed free. Remove any flower shoots to encourage the production of plenty of healthy leaves. Kale can be grown as a cut-and-come-again crop. Young tender leaves can be harvested for salads. If left to mature for winter greens, plants can be left in the ground through the winter and picked as required for soups and stews. Kale leaves are best used when freshly picked. However, they can be blanched and then frozen to store for later use. Looking for inspiration on how to use your crop? Our friends at olive have curated a delicious collection of kale recipes , including a cheesy kale and gnocchi parmesan bake. Another good reason for growing kale is that it's a relatively pest-free member of the Brassica family. The biggest problem comes from greedy birds, so use bird scarers and net your crops. Subscribe Newsletter Sign Up Forum Unlock Premium Buy Magazine Podcasts. No result. What to do now Plants Back to Main menu Plant Finder Popular flowers Back to Plants Snowdrops Winter Aconites Primroses. Back to Plants Grow garlic Grow Potatoes Grow Rhubarb. Back to Plants Winter flowering Pansies Poinsetta Snake Plant. Back to Plants Grow Apples Grow Strawberry Grow nectarines. Back to Plants Blackcurrant cuttings Winter Jasmine cuttings Take hardwood cuttings. Back to Main menu Beginner guides Back to Advice Jargon buster Winter greenhouse How to prune. Back to Advice Frost proof terracotta Winter garden pots Winter plants for pots. Back to Advice Fill in border gaps Weeding borders Dig beds in winter. |
| Quick facts | Applying mulch around the plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar. Matures in 50 to 60 days. At first the foliage might be easily confused with cilantro. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Enrich the soil with compost and fertilizer before setting out the seedlings. |
| How to Grow Kale and Collards | Kale is a cold-hardy, rGowing, non-heading Growing kale at home. Our friends Grlwing olive have curated a Insulin sensitivity management Resilience training of kale recipesincluding a cheesy kale and gnocchi parmesan bake. Also know as Yerba Buena. Tolerates light frost. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. |
| Kale: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Kale Plants at Home | The Old Farmer's Almanac | Smaller leaves are sweeter. Whichever types of kale you decide to grow, you may want to stagger your sowing so that plants mature at different times. Before I start my seeds later in the winter, my grow light setup has lots of room to place other plants and experiments. If you have the space, kale and other salad greens are pretty quick and easy to grow. My grow lights are in my laundry room, but there are some compact countertop grow light systems that allow you to grow veggies right in your kitchen. Growing kale under lights allows you to sow lots of seed that will grow into young seedlings for baby salad greens. Keep in mind you need quite a few plants to be able to fill your salad bowl! Fill a seedling flat that has drainage holes with a potting mix formulated for growing vegetables. Scatter seeds about a half inch to one inch apart. Sprinkle about a quarter of an inch of soil overtop to cover the seeds. For watering, some grow light setups have a wicking mat that waters plants from underneath. I use a mister to keep the soil moist. Whichever way you water, consistent moisture helps promote good seed germination. Find your sunniest window and choose a spot on the windowsill or a nearby shelf. You might find that a tray with a humidity dome comes in handy for germination and consistent moisture. However you can plant seeds in a regular pot. I just recommend that you use one with a drainage hole. But I digress. Fill your selected pot or dome with an organic potting mix formulated for growing veggies as mentioned above. Sow your seeds, about a quarter of an inch deep. Use a mister to spray the soil and keep it moist. If there is a dome cover, remove it once you think all or most of the seeds have germinated. Wait until the young plants have four true leaves and are about eight to 10 inches tall before moving them. Use a chopstick to gently loosen the soil around the seedling and place the seedling in a new pot with fresh soil. I just need to make sure I water my plants regularly I find I check them more often than ornamental houseplants. Set up a schedule for fertilizing your kale plants. They like lots of nitrogen to develop those leafy greens. Protect young plants with row covers like this Agfabric Floating Row Cover to stave off flea beetles and provide a buffer against any unexpected temperature dips. Picking off unhealthy-looking leaves and keeping your plants well-fed with compost and water will also reduce insect damage in your vegetable garden ,. Use straw or grass mulch at the base of your plants to keep the soil cool, conserve moisture, and make it easier for roots to feed. When things get really hot in the summer, pull plants up by their roots to make room in your garden for more heat-loving veggies until fall arrives for another round of planting. Pick them one by one, starting with the lowest, outermost leaves and working toward the center. Always leave a few of the small central leaves attached to encourage growth. How to Grow an Avocado Plant Indoors. How to Grow and Care for a Christmas Cactus. How to Plant Mums and Keep Them Growing. What You Need to Know About Collagen Supplements. How to Plant, Grow and Harvest Sweet Potatoes. They add a lovely texture to my containers. Before the winter, I dig them back into my raised bed. Apparently groundhogs are a healthy bunch, because my friend caught one eating her kale in one of her raised bed containers. A few years ago, I was on a PBS gardening special called Growing Wisdom. In between takes, I looked down at one point and tried not to reveal my absolute horror that the kale leaves were absolutely covered in wee cabbage worms. Cabbage worms can wreak havoc in a very short period of time. Jessica outlines some great tips for dealing with them in this helpful article. Inspect young seedlings regularly and carefully, especially if you see small bits of leaves start to disappear. Cabbage aphids are also a nuisance, especially when you go to harvest kale only to discover the leaves are covered in camouflaged bugs. A heavy blast from the hose can help remove them, though you may not want to eat the affected leaves. You can also try companion planting to attract beneficial insects, like ladybugs, which eat aphids, among others. This flexible material can easily be cut with an xacto blade and forms a perfect semi-circle that when inserted into the clamps, creates a mini hoop house. I use lightweight floating row cover that lets sunlight and rain through. I hold the ends in place using spring clamps like these around the edges of the raised bed. My original intention was to use this bed as a season extender , but I got quite tired of both squirrels digging up newly planted seeds, and the cabbage moths swooping in to lay their eggs. Now the raised bed protects all the Brassica crops I planted in the spring throughout the summer months. I think this will be my way of growing these crops moving forward. Like lettuce, kale falls into that cut-and-come-again category. Baby kale is a delicious salad green. And it may sound a bit nutty to massage your greens, but I will say that massaging kale leaves—especially the bigger ones—works to make them much more tender and palatable and I think digestible when eaten raw. Kale is great for the freezer, too. Depending on where you live, kale can overwinter. Generally, to overwinter kale, you might want to cover it or plant in a protected area. The leaves died back in fall, but came back in spring. Besides my raised beds, I have grown kale along the side of my front garden for winter harvests. The cement provided a bit of warmth and protected my crop, but I also covered it in floating row cover for winter protection. The new growth slowed considerably, but I was harvesting kale on winter days. Then in the spring, the plant started to become productive once more before growing flowers. In its second year, a kale plant grows really lovely yellow flowers that attract bees. Simply pinch them off and add them to salads and stir fries. The flowers are edible, too—toss them in your salad for an ornamental topping. Saving seeds is a really great cost-effective way to garden. Once your kale flowers, it will produce long seed pods. I really want to save the kale seeds, but I am in zone 5 where has extremely cold winter. My kales always died away in late fall. Is there a way to survive kale through the harsh winter, so next year, the plants will produce flowers to seeds? By the way, I might try to dig whole kale out during the fall season and leave it in the garage, is it feasible? If yes, do I need to water it? What temperature should be ok to save the plant? |
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