Even though I am not a huge fan of kale, I went ahead and planted a batch of seeds. I figured, The Girl will definitely use it in her smoothies when she comes home, and, if I can talk the HH into letting me raise some baby chicks for a friend, then I’ll have some to give them as they get a little older. Chickens LOVE kale. I assume it’s because they’ve never had chocolate. If all else fails, it looks great as an ornamental in containers.
In the past, I have grown:
- Dwarf Blue Curled Kale
- Italian Lacinato Nero Toscana Kale
- Redbor Kale {it’s kind of a purple color, so it looks great in pots}
How to Grow Kale from Seed:
Kale is more tolerant than most weeds. In fact, in the event of nuclear destruction, I think kale would still grow…it is just really, really hardy…despite my many attempts at neglect. It is a cool season crop, and gets a little bitter as the heat sets in, so it’s really best grown in early spring. I usually start it under grow lights and move it outdoors in late February or early March.
To start kale indoors, fill your containers with grow medium and water them well. Push seeds about 1/4″ deep and cover. I usually plant 3-4 seeds in each container and thin them to one per container when they reach about 1″ tall. Throw the grow light on them at about 6″-8″ above the containers. They sprout quickly, and once the seedlings are somewhat established, they’ll do fine moved to a sunny window sill until it’s time to transplant them {an added bonus if you need to free up your grow light for something that actually tastes good}.
To transplant them outside, space them about every 10″, and keep rows 18″-24″ apart. You can directly sow them outdoors about 1-2 weeks BEFORE the average last frost, if you’d rather.
When is Kale Ready to Harvest?
Kale is fully matured when the leaves are about the size of your hand–if you let them get any bigger, they tend to get tough and bitter. You CAN harvest the leaves sooner, though. In my opinion, “baby” kale {smaller leaves} are much less bitter, and dare I say, quite nice? To harvest, just tear off the leaves from the outside working your way in, as needed.
Random Facts That Will Impress No One:
One serving of kale has more calcium than a small carton of milk…so hopefully you are not lactose and kale intolerant.
The average American eats a whopping 2-3 cups of kale per year. Given that is grows like a weed, is honestly a nutrient powerhouse, AND is cheap, cheap, cheap, that is just sad. I personally am hanging my head in shame as I type.
Kale is on the must-buy-organic list, created by the Environmental Working Group {part of the dirty dozen that has expanded to far more than a dozen}, so it just makes sense to grow it yourself…organically, of course.
Now go get your kale on,
~Mavis
P.S. If you need some kale recipe ideas, check out Fast, Fresh, & Green. It’s packed full of garden recipe ideas, and holds true to the name–they all go together fast for easy weeknight meals.
Carrie Council says
Here is a recipe for Creamy Lemon Chicken, Pasta and Kale that is soooo good! It is super rich so I only make it once in awhile, I’m still trying to think how to make it lighter. I’m not a huge fan of raw kale but I don’t mind it cooked or added to smoothies. I have no problems growing the Red Russian Kale but I only had one Dwarf Blue survive this fall (I had better luck in the spring) and had zero from a Tuscan seed packet sprout in spring nor in fall. I direct sowed all three varieties in October (zone 7A in NC) They are all in the same bed too!
http://www.spoonfulofflavor.com/2015/06/15/one-pot-creamy-lemon-chicken-pasta-with-baby-kale/
Vy says
Mmm I love kale! I use it as a salad base because it’s so much sturdier than lettuce. I also chop it fine and saute it to add to soups, omelets etc, it really holds its shape and size and can sizzle alongside meat and onions without disappearing. My daughter likes to make wraps with it too. And it’s crazy easy to grow. Also, I read a book once about living through a massive volcano eruption (way bigger than Rainer and St. Helens) and a greenhouse full of kale and some chickens were the only thing keeping them alive. 🙂
Faith G. says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE kale and grew it from little plants I bought at the farmers market last year. My hens love it, but they get the scraps as I eat it almost everyday! Its great in salads, with eggs, in a cream sauce…yum, yum, yum. I cannot WAIT to grow more next season….I still have small plants doing ok in a raised bed…for now.
Farmer Phyl says
With kale it’s all about how you prepare it. So if you hate kale, try eating the baby leaves picked in the late winter after a couple of light freezes, as that is when it is the sweetest. If you’re eating it as a cooked green, blanch chopped lacinato or curly kale for 4-5 minutes then drain and saute, add a little lemon juice right before eating. If you want to eat in salad, Russian or Siberian kale is the best as the leaves are thinner and more tender. Marinate the kale for at least an hour in lemon juice or vinegar then drain off the juice which is bitter, add apples, dried cranberries, oranges,etc. The sweet fruit is a good balance to the kale flavor. Unlike the average American I eat at least 5 zip lock gallon bags a year of frozen kale and fresh kale 2-3 times a week when it’s in season. It’s never gonna be chocolate, but don’t give up on it.
Jude DeWitt says
I learned to eat kale as a child. Mom would wash and blanch a good amount of it in a simmering stock pot of “fresh mett” (a flavorful type of pork sausage) and potatoes and salted water or chicken broth until the kale was fully wilted, and the sausage cooked through. Then Mom would use a pierced serving spoon to put the ingredients on a plate, making sure that only a little of the “liqueur” came with the potatoes and kale. We then put some mild cider vinegar or white vinegar on the kale and dug in! Magnificent!!
Farmer Phyl says
OMG that sounds delish! Going to give it a try tomorrow.
E in Upstate NY says
Had a break in the weather, so headed out back to check out the garden. Looks like one of the kale plants from last year has survived so far this nasty winter! It’ll be interesting to see if it still lives this true spring.
Meg says
Thanks for sharing this info! I have started growing dinosaur kale from a seedling container. So far so good, but I’m a bit nervous about the transplant part. Our weather here in FL has been so erratic lately that I’m not sure if they will take or not.