Kale Growing and Harvesting Information
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An easy vegetable to grow, it is generally more disease and pest
resistant than other brassicas, although it can experience similar
problems. Kale also occupies less space than other brassicas.
Use it as a spinach substitute in a wide variety of dishes.
Kale maintains body and crunch so can be used in dishes where
spinach might not be suitable; its especially delicious in stir-fry
dishes. It is recommended to cook over high heat to bring out
the best flavor and prevent bitterness. Many specialty growers
are planting kale in wide beds only 1/2 to 12 inches apart and
harvesting kale small as salad greens. In England, close
plantings of kale have been shown to prevent aphid infestations
through visual masking.
Where to Grow Kale:
Almost anywhere in the United States where there is a cool fall growing season. It is a cool-season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. Kale's flavor is reported to improve and sweeten with frost.
Reccomended Kale Varieties:
There are 2 types: Scotch, an early kale with deeply curled, blue green leaves, (Dwarf Blue Curled), and Siberian, a later type with smoother, gray green leaves (Dwarf Siberian). There also are ornamental kales, grown particularly for garden display in late summer and early fall when the annuals begin to wane. The leaves are deeply curled and beautifully tinted with pastel colors ranging from emerald green to soft lilac to reds to whites. The leaves may be eaten but are not as succulent as the drop varieties.
Soil for Growing Kale:
The ideal is a fertile, well-drained loam. Clay types can be improved with generous amounts of compost and well-rotted manure worked in to spade depth.
Planting Kale:
Germination in 7-10 days.
When: Start in midsummer for a late-fall winter crop.
How: In rows 18 inches to 2 feet apart. When
the seedlings are 3 or more inches high, then plants to 10 inches
apart and use the thinnings for salads or as a cooked vegetable.
How Kale grows:
Like collards, kale develops attractive leaves from a central stem, which grows a foot or so tall.
Cultivating Kale:
Cultivate shallowly or mulch heavily to keep down weeds.
| Storage Requirements | ||
| For fresh storage, don't wash leaves. For drying, cut the leaves into strips and steam for 2-5 minutes. Spread on trays no more than 1/2" thick and dry. If using an oven set the temperature to below 145 F; check and turn every hour. | ||
| Fresh | ||
| Temperature | Humidity | Storage Life |
| 32 F | 95-100% | 2-3 weeks |
| 32-40 F | 80-90% | 10 months (only fair taste) |
| Preserved | ||
| Method | Taste | Shelf Life |
| Canned | good | 12+ months |
| Frozen | good | 12 months |
| Dried | fair | 12+ months |
Harvesting Kale:
1 month. Leaf color is the best sign of crop readiness. Rich green leaves of firm texture are ready for cutting. If too dark and heavy, the leaves are tough and not as flavorful. Cut the leaves frequently. When cold weather begins, mulch the plants with straw, salt hay, or the like, they will continue producing well into winter, and they may even taste more flavorful.
Kale Pests:
(Same as Cabbage)
- Root Maggot: Place 3 inch tar paper squares
around each seedling when transplanting to cover the soil areas; or
keep the ground dusted with wood ash.
- Cabbage butterflies/worms - Use biological control
BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) or dust with rotenone.
- Aphids - Spray with rotenone or pyrethrum
- Cutworms - Use stiff paper collars around
transplants to extend at least 1 inch below the soil line.
- Flea beetles - Dust with wood ash or flour dust;
spray with rotenone.
Kale Diseases:
(Same as Cabbage)
Although kale is usually diseases and pest free, some gardeners
won't compost any brassica roots to prevent spreading of clubroot
and other soil-borne diseases. Pull and destroy infected
plants. Kale is not as likely as other brassicas to suffer
from clubroot, but if you experience problems, be sure to rotate
planting so they're not in the same 10 foot radius for at least 3
years, preferably closer to 7 years. Soil fungicides are somewhat
effective on cabbage diseases, but they are expensive, sold in large
quantity, and not practical for small home garden use, unless a
great deal of cabbage is grown.
- Club root fungus - Most frequent in soggy or acid
soil. Grow only in well-drained soil; follow crop
rotation practices; lime to keep soil pH at a neutral 7.
- Yellows - A soil-borne diseases; choose resistant
varieties.
- Black rot - Bacteria born on seed; buy only from
reputable seed dealers or bedding plant growers; rotate crops.
- Blackleg - Bacteria spreads from infected plants, garden
tools, and leftover debris. Follow crop rotation.
