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VegetablesHardyBiennial
Kale
Kale is a leafy brassica valued for repeated pickings, strong flavour and excellent tolerance of cold weather. It is one of the most useful crops for keeping a bed productive from late summer well into winter and early spring.
Basic information
Category
Vegetables
Lifecycle
Biennial
Hardiness
Hardy
Planting partners
3 companions · 1 crop to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
60 days
Germination window
5–10 days
Germination temperature
10–20 °C
Plant spacing
45 cm
Row spacing
60 cm
Sowing depth
1.5 cm
Height
75 cm
Spread
45 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Notes
Sow Outdoors: Often started in an outdoor seedbed or modules, then transplanted at wider spacing. Direct sowing is possible, but protect seedlings from slugs.
Care tips
Harvest outer leaves little and often so fresh growth continues from the centre, and feed or water if repeated picking slows the plant down. Net against pigeons where they are troublesome, especially once frosts make the leaves sweeter and more attractive.
Common pests
Cabbage root fly, clubroot, mealy cabbage aphid, slugs, pigeons.
