Plant ID card |
|
|---|---|
Botanical name |
Brassica oleraceae acephala group. |
Common name |
Kale, kale, kale, feather cabbage, chard. |
Family |
Brassicaceae. |
Origin |
South West Europe. |
Dimensions |
Kale measures between 60 and 150 cm high and 50-60 cm wide. Its growth is rapid. |
Foliage |
Unheaded cabbage with elegant leathery, evergreen leaves, often very curled or jagged, up to 30 cm long, distributed along a strong stem, sometimes branched. Their mild, nutty flavor is quite sweet, sometimes bitter depending on the variety and cooking method. |
Bloom |
Yellow flowers in spring. |
Fruiting |
Siliques (kind of pods). |
Exposure |
Sun to partial shade if the climate is hot. |
Ground |
Well drained, fresh and humus (moderately rich). |
Rusticity |
Between -10 and -15°C. |
In France, the commercial term "kale" includes the leaves of unheaded, annual or biennial cabbage, but also those of rapeseed and rutabaga (
Brassica napus
).
Daubenton cabbage being perennial is not one of them.
Known to the Romans and widely consumed in the Middle Ages, kale remained a traditional vegetable in Northern and Central Europe, eaten raw or cooked.
This vegetable, rich in anti-oxidants and others, is considered a superfood, particularly in the United States.
How to sow kale?
These cabbages are much simpler to grow than headed cabbages because sowing can be done directly in the vegetable garden as soon as the soil has warmed up (temperatures between 15 and 25°C).
They also require less rich soils, are more resistant to cold and pests (pierid).
Sow the seeds in the ground, directly in the vegetable garden or in the nursery,
between April and July,
or even under cover from February to March for an early harvest from May:
Aerate the soil enriched with a few shovelfuls of compost;
scratch the surface to crumble it and press the seeds 0.5 to 1 cm deep as clear as possible.
Fill the hole then water to seal the soil;
Raising takes 6 to 10 days;
Thin out 10 cm apart when they have 3-4 leaves or transplant plants raised under cover;
Transplant at the 6 to 8 leaf stage with a spacing of 80 cm in all directions.
Also read: Kohlrabi: a tasty cabbage that is very easy to grow in the vegetable garden
How to maintain kale?
Copyright (c) 2020 Ga_Na/Shutterstock.
No use without permission.
Watering
: maintain fresh soil throughout the season, with mulching and moderate watering at the base;
Pests:
protect plants from slugs, aphids and aphids.
Winter:
you can cover the plant with a winter veil during severe frosts.
When and how to harvest kale
?
The harvest extends from
May to February
depending on the variety, you can cut both the young tender leaves during the summer and the mature leaves which following the first frosts become very rich in vitamin C.
Go leaf by leaf starting from the bottom as needed to maintain their freshness.
You can expect to harvest between 0.5 and 2 kg of leaves per plant.
Rub the leaves together to
soften them
and eat them raw or chop the leaves before marinating them in oil and lemon then place them in the fridge for 1 hour.
Also read: Seasonal vegetables: to enjoy all year round!
Brassica Kale
Varieties
to Grow
Copyright (c) 2024 Tyada_Nam/Shutterstock.
No use without permission.
oleracea var.
palmifolia
'Black Tuscany'
: sown in May-June for a harvest from June to September.
Long dark green to black embossed leaves, reminiscent of a palm tree up to 1.50 m high;
oleracea var.
sabellica
'Half Westland Dwarf'
: tender curly leaves, slightly sweet and very fragrant, to harvest from September to December;
oleracea var.
sabellica
'Roter Grunkohl'
: curly leaves turning purple with cold.
H: 90 cm;
napus subsp.
napus var.
pabularia
'Russian Red'
: ideal for early cultivation with sowing from February to July and harvest from May to February.
Very jagged leaves with purple veins and a sweet flavor.