Kale
Also called Curly kale, Cavolo nero, Borecole.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 4 days in the growing season, every 10 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 80 cm (31 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Pet safety not established for this species.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Kale is the crop that makes a winter vegetable garden worth having. Sown in spring and planted out in early summer, it stands through frost and snow and gives leaves from autumn until it runs to flower the following spring, and the flavour genuinely improves after a hard frost. Plant it firmly and deeply, up to the lowest leaves, because a rocking plant never thrives. Net it from the first day: cabbage white caterpillars will reduce a plant to ribs in a week and no spray is as effective as mesh. Pick from the bottom upwards, a few leaves from each plant, and it keeps producing for months. The flowering shoots in spring are as good as sprouting broccoli and are the last thing the plant gives you.
Ailments observed
| Holes chewed in the leaves | Caterpillars of the cabbage white, which strip a plant in days. Net the crop with fine mesh from the day it goes out, and pick off any caterpillars you find on the undersides. |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant | Old leaves shed as the stem lengthens, or hunger in a pot. Strip the yellow leaves off cleanly to keep air moving, and feed a container grown plant through summer. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
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