Grow kale in your home garden for a harvest of healthful leafy greens. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and easy to grow in a vegetable garden. Learn to grow this cool-season vegetable and enjoy plenty of greens for salads, sides, and smoothies in your kitchen.
Site, Soil, and Season
Kale is a cool-season crop planted in early spring or late summer. You can plant kale in-ground or in raised garden beds. It thrives in full sun and rich, fertile soil.
Growing Conditions:
- Light: Full sun (at least six hours) for robust plants. Part shade is tolerated but results in less vigorous growth.
- Soil: Lightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8. Amend soil with organic compost, cottonseed meal, or blood meal to improve drainage and provide nutrients.
Planting Seasons:
- Spring: Set out plants 3 to 5 weeks before the last frost for an early summer harvest.
- Late Summer: Begin planting 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost for a fall harvest. In hardiness zones 8 to 10, sow kale each week in late summer for a steady harvest.
Maturity: Most kale varieties mature in 40 to 65 days.
Start with Seeds or Seedlings
You can grow kale from seed or seedling, and you can plant them outside at about the same time.
Starting Seeds Indoors:
- Timing: Sow kale seeds about 4 weeks before transplanting.
- Hardening Off: Reduce water and take seedlings outside for a few hours each day before transplanting. Plant the seedlings 12 to 18 inches apart after they acclimate to outdoor temperatures.
Direct Sowing:
- Spring: Sow seeds or plant seedlings a few weeks before the last frost.
- Summer: Sow seeds or plant seedlings in mid-summer, timing the harvest to the first date of frost in fall.
Sweetness: Kale tastes sweeter after a light frost as chilly temperatures convert starches in the leaves into sugars.
How to Plant Kale
Direct Sowing:
- Sow kale seeds about 1/4-inch deep.
- Thin seedlings to 12 to 18 inches apart and rows 2 feet apart when they have 3 to 4 true leaves.
- Transplant thinned seedlings to another part of your garden or containers.
Transplanting Seedlings:
- Plant seedlings from the Garden Center as deep as they are in the container.
- Space seedlings 12 to 18 inches apart.
Temperature: Kale grows best in temperatures below 75°F. Above 75°F, leaves may become tough and bitter.
How to Care for Kale
Watering: Kale likes about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water each week. Use a rain gauge to measure rainfall.
Mulching:
- Helps retain moisture around plants.
- Keeps down weeds and prevents soil from splashing on leaves.
Pest Management:
- Common Pests: Cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, and their adult forms (white butterflies).
- Organic Treatment: Pick off caterpillars and drop them in soapy water. Use insecticidal soap or Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) as a preventative measure. Follow label directions for use and storage.
How to Harvest and Store Kale
Harvesting:
- Timing: Harvest leaves when they are about the size of your hand.
- Technique: Pick outer leaves first, working towards the center. Use garden snips to cut leaves at the base of the stalk.
Storing:
- Wash leaves and store in a loose plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Extending the Crop:
- Use row covers, thick mulch, and plastic tunnels to extend growth into winter.
Biennial Plant: Kale is a biennial, meaning it completes its lifecycle in two years. If left in the ground over winter, it will flower and produce seeds the following spring. Collect seeds for future planting.
Conclusion
Growing kale is a rewarding experience, providing you with nutritious greens for various culinary uses. With proper planting, care, and harvesting techniques, you can enjoy a bountiful kale harvest. Whether you need the right planters, seeds, or potting soil, The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them.
