I know you’ve heard about kale. It’s crowned king of all the uber-healthy greens. For years, there have been such a buzz singing praises for this wonderful crop. And I understand why. Join me today as we learn how to grow kale in your garden, ‘cause you’ll love this crop.
Kale’s sudden rise as the next big superfood may be unprecedented for some but this crop has always been a welcome treat for many even long before all the influencers raved about it.
This crop is just loaded with nutrients and it’s very low in calories! It’s high in essential vitamins like A, K & C. It’s also an excellent source of antioxidants like Quercetin and Kaempferol. Plus it lowers cholesterol reducing the risk of heart disease.
It’s not only great for your body, but it also tastes wonderful as well. It’s such a versatile crop perfect for any stir-fry, salad and pasta dishes!
It’s got that earthy taste and amazing crunch. A young kale has a very mild taste perfect for salads.
If this leafy green is perfect for your body and for your kitchen, surely it’s perfect for your garden as well?
I’ve always had a successful batch of kale when I grow them so I thought I ‘d share some tips with you! I’ve compiled everything in this growing guide.
Good luck!
Grow You Own Kale at Home
If there’s one thing that might convince those still on the fence about growing kale, it’s this.
Kale is so expensive! I mean really, have you seen how high it can cost on local grocery stores? I understand it’s a lovely crop. It’s delicious and healthy but they’re so pricey!
If you grow one in your own garden, you’ll have all the kale supply you’ll ever need.
All for the price of nothing. I mean, okay, time is still money. But that’s the thing, you won’t even have to put too much effort into growing kale.
They’re such an easy plant to grow and require little care. And this low-maintenance crop will reward you with your leafy greens all season long. The earlier you plant them, the sooner you can harvest some fresh kale.
Even if you’re a beginner, you can totally grow this one. I’ll be guiding you in every step. All the questions you might ask while growing kale is already answered below!
Just continue reading for the complete growing guide for Kale.
How to Plant Kale
When is the best time to plant kale?
I know you’re excited to start planting your kale but you need to know if you’re doing it at the right time.
Every plant has the perfect time for it to thrive. The climate and weather conditions during that time frame to create the best environment for each plant to grow successfully.
In the case of kale, it’s best to start planting this crop in early spring. Check your local frost date.
You should plant 4 weeks before your last frost date. Or if you want to start ahead, sow seeds indoors approximately 6 weeks before the last frost. This is the set-up for a summer harvest.
You have another chance to plant kale in fall. Start planting kale six weeks before your first frost date this season. This will give you autumn to early winter harvest.
How do I start a kale plant?
You can grow kale from seeds or transplants. You might be tempted to buy a nursery plant somewhere and that’s fine too but starting from seed is much cheaper. And it’s very easy to do this.
I promise you, even if you don’t have any background in gardening, you’ll be able to grow kale from seeds.
No need to be intimidated by starting from scratch. You can buy seeds from your local garden centers or hardware shops. Make sure they’re fresh.
A good quality seed gives you a better chance for a successful harvest. Buy fresh good quality seeds from a reputable source.
You don’t want your seeds coming from a previously infected plant. That’s just a problem waiting to happen.
In this growing guide, the variety I chose to grow is the Red Russian kale. The seed pack that I used formed to such a tender tasting kale. It eventually had a wonderful purple color, just what you want for a Red Russian.
If you want to plant this type as well, try the seed pack that I used. It was enough to grow more than four kale plants—Ideally, you should plant 4 to 5 kale plants per household member.
You can also opt to grow other varieties like Improved Dwarf Siberian (dark frilly leafed), but the Red Russian is more tender than this variety.
Redbor hybrid (red frilly leafed) is good too, it gets darker as temperatures get colder.
Toscano is another variety you might want to try. It gets really big, and it’s dark green leaves can tolerate heat and cold. Although this one takes longer to grow than all the varieties I’ve mentioned above.
These common types of kale have pretty much the same growing conditions so pick what best suits your taste and location.
Should I grow kale in a container or grow it in the ground?
You can grow kale in garden beds or in containers but I find that it’s best to grow them in the raised garden beds.
They’re gonna spread out so they need enough space for the big leaves to fully grow. I also plan on planting more kale so this is the best set up for me.
The garden bed’s extra space allows for a better airflow for my plants, diminishing their chances to acquire fungal diseases.
Basically, growing in garden beds is the ideal set up for kale.
If you do want to grow them in containers, make sure your pot is at least 12 inches in diameter with enough draining holes. A quality potting mix should also be used.
But in this growing guide, I’m going to grow Red Russian kale from seeds in the early spring in my garden bed.
Now it’s time to get our hands dirty. Literally. We’re gonna prepare the soil!
How do I prepare the soil?
Kale thrives in fertile and well-drained soil. A neutral to slightly alkaline soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5 is recommended.
You can test your soil at a local garden center or have it tested at your local government soil testing lab.
Amend the soil based on the results and recommendations. Do this at least 7 days before planting.
The soil you should use should be high in organic matter. Kale is known for being a heavy feeder so you really want that rich fertile soil around your plants. See to it that the soil receives consistent moisture.
Though kale is hardy and can tolerate drought once matured, the quality of the leaves will decrease from water stress.
How do I plant the kale?
You can directly seed kale on the ground or sow seeds indoors first. In order to start ahead of the season and also give my seedlings more of a fighting chance, I sow seeds indoors.
I suggest you do too so that when you’re gonna transfer your plant in the garden, it already has healthy roots.
Young seedlings are very sensitive and can be prone to all sorts of diseases, a controlled environment can help them germinate faster and safer.
I’ll divide this into two parts. The first one will focus on seed-starting and the next part will be about planting the transplant.
Don’t worry, this is going to be simple!
Kale Seed Starting
- Start seeds indoors six to four weeks before the last spring frost
- If you have a seed-starting tray, use it but if you don’t have one a styrofoam cup will do. Prick 5 holes at the bottom of the cup. Use nails to create the holes or other items available.
- Prepare the potting mix by mixing in a good amount of water until it’s evenly moist.
- To check if it’s moist, take a handful of the potting mix into your hand and press together. If it feels like a squishy old sponge, it’s good to go.
- Fill the cup with the potting mix.
- Place two seeds of kale per cup.
- Sow it as deep as its size.
- Cover it lightly with the potting mix.
- Place the cups in an area where it can receive at least 6 to eight hours of sunlight.
- When indoors, place it somewhere with continuous light.
You can use any quality potting mix. I ordered mine from Amazon, it’s an organic potting mix I use on other vegetables as well. You might wanna check that out.
Wait for your seeds to germinate. When the kale has 3 to 4 true leaves or reaches 4 to 5 inches in height, it’s time to transplant them on the final location. This happens in about 6 weeks.
Planting the transplant
- Dig a hole as deep as the transplant.
- Press the cup to loosen the transplant.
- Add a bit of compost and a scoop of any organic fertilizer (preferably one high in nitrogen) in each hole.
- Place the transplant.
- Cover lightly with soil.
- Space each plant 12 inches apart and each row 18 to 24 inches apart.
- Water lightly.
That’s it! You’re done!
You can add mulch to aid in moisture retention. Kale is a hardy crop that’s very hard to kill but make sure you’ve followed these guidelines for better growth.
Growing Kale
How and when do I thin my kale plant?
We sowed seeds indoors in separate cups so thinning is not really required. If you sow your seeds directly in the ground thin the seedlings to 16 – 18 inches apart from each other.
How much water does my kale plants really need?
For consistent moisture, water your kale plant about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Adjust amount based on the weather and soil condition. Adding natural mulch around your plants will aid in moisture retention.
How often does my kale plants need to be fertilized?
The organic fertilizer added during the planting stage will go a long way for this hardy plant. There’s no need to fertilize again. Fish emulsion (half strength) is a great organic fertilizer, you can use this for the kale plants.
How much sun does my kale plant need?
Select a location where your kale plant can receive 6 hours of full sun. Actually, I’ve seen some kale plants grow just as well with 4 to 5 hours of sunlight daily. But if you go any lower than that, you’ll end up with a very dull looking plant. Plus it wouldn’t be as leafy.
The main takeaway is the more sunlight it can get, the better.
Which climate better suits kale? (Best Hardiness Zones)
Like I’ve mentioned earlier, Kale is very cold-hardy crop. It can tolerate temperatures as low as 20°F. The cool temperature works for kale as it makes it taste sweeter.
If you followed the guidelines and planted in early spring, you’ll have a summer harvest ready before temperatures go up more than 80°F.
Kale doesn’t like heat so this works for you.
If you live in an area with a relatively cool summer, plant kale in early spring. This will result in an early summer harvest.
If you are located in a warm to hot summer region, plant kale in late summer for fall to winter harvest.
Generally, temperatures between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred by kale plants. All varieties are also sweetened by a light frost because, again, they like cool temperatures.
It can be grown perfectly well in USDA Zones 8 through 10.
How long does it take to grow kale?
When grown from seed, it will take about 50 days for your Red Russian kale plants to reach the optimum height for harvest. At this point, expect your plant to have grown to about 2 ft tall. You can do multiple harvests in just a single season.
You can harvest earlier in about 20-30 days after seeding for baby greens.
What are the common diseases and pests that could ruin my kale plant and how do I avoid it?
Kale is generally an easy plant to grow and quite hard to kill. But it’s a member of the cabbage family.
If you’re not familiar with the problems encountered while growing a plant from this family, I’ll give you a hint: Pests.
Your kale will be highly susceptible to pests such as cabbage looper, cabbage worms, cutworms, flea beetles and aphids. Slugs might be a problem too, but you can just easily pick them off by hand and get them out of your garden.
The best way to counter or even avoid these problems is by monitoring your plant closely. Always check for signs of eggs or even feeding. Most of these pests can be removed by hand or by a jet of water.
Once you identify the pest, treat your plant accordingly.
In terms of diseases, there aren’t really any serious ones that you need to be worried about.
If your garden is clean and you water them properly, you’ll be fine. Plus, I suggest you water in the late morning so by night time, the excess water would have dried already.
Overwatering can harm your plant.
Again, kale is very hard to kill so no need to get nervous. Though don’t neglect your plants completely. Even if they’re low-maintenance, they still need a bit of caring and monitoring.
What other crops could I plant together with my kale to maximize my garden space?
First things first, you need to be familiar with companion planting if you’re looking to expand your garden or you’re looking for the next plant to grow after kale.
If you are new to this, the idea behind companion planting is simple. There are certain plants that are better when grown together.
Some of the benefits they can get from each other include natural pest control, higher crop yield and shade protection for sun-sensitive plants.
For example, planting basil next to your kale will help steer away from the aphids from your precious plants. Catnip is another natural pest control for kale, it repels flea beetles.
Mustard, on the other hand, will keep the nasty cabbage white moth and cabbage white caterpillar away from your kale.
Here is a list of ideal plants to grow near kale:
I’m gonna cut it at ten, just to provide you a glimpse of what your garden could be in the future.
What are the crops that will not go well with kale?
Just as there are good plant neighbors, there are also bad plant neighbors for kale. Do not plant
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Pole beans
- Rue
- Grapes
The growing conditions between kale and these plants just clash with each other.
Planting near these wouldn’t help either party.
Harvesting Kale
How do I harvest kale and when is the best time to do it?
This is it. Soon you’ll be making all sorts of kale-everything. You’re so close! But, of course, you need to harvest them first.
Most kale varieties are ready to harvest in just 55 to 70 days. For the Red Russian, it takes about 50 days from seed to harvest age.
Once you see the outside leaves are big enough to eat, it’s time for picking. Remember to always pick the outer leaves first.
The inner leaves should be left alone so it can continue to grow.
As long as the weather stays cool, you can continue harvesting kale. I find that this plant will produce new tender leaves for several months if you continue giving it the proper water conditions.
Regular harvesting also encourages leaf growth!
Now that you know when’s the best time to harvest, it’s time to cut the leaves out.
It’s pretty simple really. Grab a pair of scissors or a sharp knife and cut the leaf one by one. What I do is I just cut the leaves that I need for the day and come back next time.
In no time, new leaves will grow at the center of the head.
Speaking of head, you can harvest the whole kale head if you want.
Wash the kale leaves that you’ve harvested with water. Be sure to remove any dirt present.
What is the best way to store the kale that I have harvested?
Even though fresh-picked kale tastes so good, there will always be some days that you won’t be able to use them. And in order to preserve that rich earthy taste and crunch, you can always store them for future use.
Though kale doesn’t easily wilt since it’s so hardy, you should still store them properly. There are several options to do this.
You can store a bunch of kale in the vegetable crisper after you’ve wrapped them in paper towels and placed them in a plastic bag. They will keep fresh for a week.
If you think you won’t be able to use your harvested kale in a week, here’s something you can do. Blanch the kale and freeze them. Stored kale like this one is perfect for smoothies!
After you blanch the kale, dry them thoroughly. You can pat them down with paper towels to remove the moisture. When it’s dried, place it on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze them. In about 1 to 2 hours, it would be frozen solid.
Peel away the sheet and transfer the frozen kale in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer. You can use this for up to 8 months! If you’re tired of adding them on smoothies, try chopping them while still frozen and add them in all sorts of dishes.
Be it sauces or soups, this kale will still taste amazing.
I hope I’ve added another vegetable in your garden. Congratulate yourself on a job well done! If you want to spread the joy of gardening, why not share this with your friends and family. Create your own local gardening community!
FEATURED TABLE
| Botanical Name | Brassica oleracea acephala |
| Plant Type | Vegetable |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun to part shade |
| Soil Type | Loamy |
| Soil pH | Neutral to Slightly Alkaline |
| Bloom Time | |
| Flower Color | |
| Hardiness Zones | 8,9,10 |
