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Kale Brassica oleracea (acephala)

How to sow kale: Direct seed. If planting indoors, harden off before transplanting seedlings outside.

Sun requirement for kale: Plant in Full Sun

Kale has been planted 73 times by Growstuff members.

Kale is a cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. It has green or purple leaves that branch off from one to multiple upright stems and do not form a head like cabbage. The plant is usually grown as an annual, but if grown as a perennial, it will form seeds in the second year. Current popular varieties include Curly kale, Italian kale, and Red Russian kale (green leaves with pale purple stems). It can be grown as baby salad greens or for bunching adult leaves. Leaves are sweeter after a frost and delicious eaten raw, added to salads, sautéed, or added to stews and casseroles.

photo of crop

Predictions

Annual

living and reproducing in a single year or less

Median lifespan

27 weeks

First harvest expected

5 weeks after planting

Last harvest expected

17 weeks after planting

Height

75cm

Spread

75cm

Row Spacing

45cm

Companions

radicchio lemon balm tomato potato german chamomile celtuce Bonnie Little Bing Compact Cherry Tomato

Photos

Kale crops

Kale plantings

Kale
Kale
by mamagotcha
IMG_20171205_175847
IMG_20171205_175847
by shiny
IMG_20180321_084456
IMG_20180321_084456
by shiny
garden 1
garden 1
by mamagotcha
IMG_20160914_092344
IMG_20160914_092344
by shiny

Kale harvests

IMG_20171209_182432
IMG_20171209_182432
by shiny
IMG_20171216_181905
IMG_20171216_181905
by shiny
IMG_20180314_073004
IMG_20180314_073004
by shiny
IMG_20180326_143901
IMG_20180326_143901
by shiny
IMG_20180411_180438
IMG_20180411_180438
by shiny
more photos »

Sunniness

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Planted from

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Harvested for

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Varieties

cavalo nero

cavalo nero

Brassica oleracea
kale Vate's blue curled

kale Vate's blue curled

Brassica oleracea
lacinato kale

lacinato kale

Brassica oleracea Acephala group
sea kale

sea kale

Crambe maritima

Crop Map

Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown on this map.

What people are saying about kale

Planting outdoors & fruit trees

by maco,

Today I transplanted the [cabbage](crop) and [onion](crop) seedlings outside and planted seeds for: [arugula](crop), [garlic](crop) (well, cloves, not seeds--forced in the fridge), mesclun salad mix, [kale](crop), [cauliflower](crop), and [beet](crop)s. Some of these (cauliflower, beets, mesclun)...

cabbages onions arugula garlic kale cauliflowers beets apples peaches almonds plums
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Getting ready for spring!

by maco,

I've got seeds either on-hand or ordered for just about everything I'm starting from seed this year. I've been working out what I want to plant, and this is the plan I've come up with for the 72 square feet of my backyard raised beds: ![garden plan](http://mackenzie.morgan.name/tmp/garden_plan...

arugula basils beets cabbages cauliflowers cucumbers eggplants garlic kale lettuces onions oregano parsley Hungarian wax peppers bell peppers zucchini yellow summer squash butternut squash sweet potatoes tomatoes super sweet 100 tomatoes chamomiles
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An example of "other" plantings

by Skud,

Just a note of something edible I planted, that won't ever be in our crops database, and would be a prime candidate for the "other" option we've talked about implementing: I just planted a big wide container with Diggers Club "Microgreen Winter Mix" which contains red russian [kale](crop), [tatso...

kale tatsoi endives
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No subject

by oakandsage,

My [raspberry](crop) are flowering! Anyone whose english [pea](crop) plants yield spherical peas must be a saint. I only get spherical peas if I miss a pod. In the evening I sit out in the garden and eat peas until there is nothing worth eating left on the plant. Then I am done until tomorrow....

raspberries peas asparagus chard kale melons rhubarb carrots dill basils squash cherries nectarines apples pomegranates blueberries
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