Kale: A Cold-Hardy Superfood for the Home Garden

Forget ornamental kale—culinary kale is a different vegetable entirely. Varieties range from smooth light green to crinkly near-black to 'Red Russian' which turns purple-red in cold weather.

About This Plant

Homegrown kale is far more tender, succulent, and sweet than store-bought. It's a nutritional powerhouse loaded with iron, vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, potassium, and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Easier to grow than many cabbage relatives, cold-hardy kale provides fresh harvests even as temperatures drop. A few frosts actually improve its flavor.

Site Selection

Choose a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. Loosen soil to 12–15 inches and incorporate a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.

Planting Instructions

Spring crop: Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last expected frost; transplant hardened-off seedlings 2 weeks before the last frost. Or direct-sow as soon as soil can be worked. Fall crop: Start seeds 8 weeks before the first expected fall frost. In mild winter areas, sow in late fall for winter and early spring harvest.

Sow seeds ¼–½ inch deep, 4 inches apart. When plants are a few inches tall, thin to 12–18 inches.

Care

Mulch to keep soil consistently moist. While kale has fewer pest issues than other brassicas, floating row covers help exclude cabbage loopers, cabbageworms, and flea beetles. Contact your extension office for other controls.

Harvesting

For early harvest, cut individual leaves when 3 inches long. Continue picking outer leaves or harvest the entire head at about 1 foot tall. Cool weather and light frost improve flavor, allowing a long fall harvest. Harvest spring plantings before warm weather toughens leaves.