How to Grow Kale: The Complete Guide (2024)

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Full sun and fertile, well-drained soil produce the fastest-growing and most tender leaves, though kale will toleratepartial shade as well.Add plenty of compost to the ground before planting and if your soil isn’t especially rich, top up its fertility by working in nitrogen-rich amendments such as blood meal, cottonseed meal, or composted manure into the ground beforeplanting.

When to PlantKale

Kale tastes best when plants grow rapidly and mature before the heat of summer (before temperatures exceed 75°F/24°C) orafter fall frosts occur. Young plants are not seriously damaged by temperatures down to 25°F/-4°C. Mature plants are extremely hardy and can withstand very cold temperatures. However, hot temperatures will slow growth and cause a bitterflavor.

• For spring: Whether direct seeding into the soil or transplanting start plants from the nursery, you can plant4 to 6 weeks before the average last spring frost. Seeds willgerminate at soil temperatures as low as40°F/4°C.
• For fall: Select early maturing cultivars and direct-seed 3 months before the first fall frost date. Note: In areas with hot summers, you’ll need to delay sowing until temperatures start to cool off. The cool fall weather really brings out the sweet, nutty flavor of kale which can withstand hard frosts (25–28°F) without experiencingdamage.
• Kale can also be grown as a winter vegetable under cover or outside in mild winter regions, like the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast. They’ll grow and yield all winter long. We suggest speaking to your local cooperative extension to determine if/when you should plant wintervegetables.

How to PlantKale

• When planting, add fertilizer (1-1/2 cups of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 25 feet of row)into the top 3 to 4inches of soil. If you fertilize with compost, apply no more than 1 inch of well-composted organic matter per 100 square feet of gardenarea.
• Plant seeds 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 18 to 30 inchesapart.
• If you’re setting out young plants (transplants), plant them at the depth at which they are growing in the container, spaced 12 inches apart, in rows 18 to 30 inchesapart.
• After planting, water the plantswell.

See our video for growing perfect kale every time!

• After about 2 weeks, thin seedlings to 8 to 12 inchesapart.
• It’s important to keep kale well watered and fertilized. If rain is inconsistent, provide 1 to 1.5 inches of water each week (about 1gallonper squarefoot).
• Side-dress as needed with a high-nitrogenfertilizer.
• Mulch the soil to keep down the weeds, retain moisture, and keep kale cool. Kale growth can slow if plants are stressed (too hot or cold, inadequate water, pests ordisease).
• To guarantee a supply of mature leaves through winter, mulch heavily after the first hardfreeze.

• ‘Red Russian’ (or ‘Russian Red’): heirloom; oak leaf-shape, gray-green leaves with deep-purple veins and stem; an earlycrop
• ‘Lacinato’ (aka ‘Lacinato Blue’, ‘Tuscan’, ‘Black Palm Tree’, or ‘Cavil Nero’): heirloom, straplike leaves up to 2 feet long on plants that resemble small palm trees; heat tolerant and verycold-hardy.
• ‘True Siberian’: large, frilly, blue-green leaves; cold-hardy; pick all winter in someareas
• ‘Vates Blue Curled’:hardy variety that is slow to bolt and does notyellow in cold weather. It eponymous leaves reach 12 to 14inches on 15-inchplants
• ‘Winterbor’:resembles ‘Vates’,with 24-inch leaves on 2- to 3-foot-tall plants; baby leaves can be harvested at 28 days;frost-tolerant

• Kale is ready to harvest when the leaves are about the size of your hand.Pick about a fistful of outer leaves per harvest, but no more than one-third of the plant at onetime.
• Avoid picking the terminal bud (at the top center of the plant), which helps to maintain the plant’sproductivity.
• Kale will continue growing until temperatures reach20°F/-7°C.Do not stop harvesting: A“kiss” of frost makes it even sweeter.(See local frost dates.)
• To extend the harvest, protect with row coversor tarps.Or, create a makeshift cover ofold blankets propped up by haybales.

How to StoreKale

Store kale, like other leafy greens, in a loose plastic bag in the refrigerator. It should keep for about 1week.

Catherine Boeckmann