Green cabbage (sometimes also called brown cabbage) is one of the most popular winter vegetables. You can also grow the spicy leafy greens in your own garden.
Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica L.) belongs to the cruciferous family and is a popular leafy vegetable, especially in northern Germany. The hearty taste and high content of nutrients are just two of the many properties that have made kale cultivation a tradition in Germany. In combination with potatoes, onions or meat dishes, kale is a popular choice, especially during the cold season. However, in recent years kale has also been increasingly hailed as a superfood as it is high in protein, iron and other he althy ingredients, making it a nutritious and tasty alternative to meat for many vegans and vegetarians. Here you will learn how to grow kale yourself, how to care for it and lots of useful tips on growing and harvesting.
Planting kale: When is planting season?
Planting in mid-May is ideal for most types of kale. This applies if you want to take care of the rearing from the seed stage to the adult plants yourself. The seeds should first be grown in seed boxes or pots. To do this, simply place the seeds a few centimeters apart at a depth of 1 to 2 cm and cover with soil. Compost is a suitable planting medium for kale cultivation. After about 6 weeks, the young plants can then go into the bed.
If you prefer to buy seedlings from a specialist retailer, you can start planting the kale later. However, the kale plants should be in the ground by the beginning of July at the latest to ensure rapid youth development.
Growing kale: location and care requirements
Kale is not very picky about where it is placed. For a good kale harvest, however, you should pay attention to a few things.
The right location
Kale prefers to grow in nutrient-rich locations with good water holding capacity in semi-shady conditions. In addition, it is favorable if the pH values in the soil are between 6.5 and 8, i.e. neutral toslightly alkaline conditions prevail. This protects against the dreaded clubroot, a stem disease that affects cruciferous vegetables such as kale. As a preventive measure, some lime can be incorporated when planting to increase the pH value.
Tip: Make sure cruciferous vegetables have not grown in the same location for at least four years to avoid infection with clubroot.
Plant Kale"
If the young plants are ready for the bed, you can plant your kale with a row and side spacing of 40 to 60 cm. Make sure that the plants are a few centimeters deeper in the ground than they were in the pot. The kale seedlings should be lightly watered.
Watering and fertilizing kale
Kale is a very vigorous leafy vegetable. Especially in midsummer, a constant water supply must be guaranteed so that the curly leaf crowns can develop vigorously. During the youth phase, you should keep the bed free of weeds and regularly loosen the spaces between the individual kale plants. In the main growth phase, the supply of nutrients must not be neglected. To ensure this, you should support your kale with primarily organic vegetable fertilizer. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer is optimally adapted to the needs of vegetables such as kale and contains all the necessary nutrients.
Tip: Mounding up the young plants promotes root growth and can prevent the cabbage fly from laying its eggs in the stalks of the kale.
An overview of the cultivation:
- Growing kale seeds in seed trays/pots
- Prepare the bed: loosen deeply and add lime if necessary (raise the pH value because of clubroot)
- After about 6 weeks put the kale in the bed (40-60 cm apart)
- Water and pile up plants (protection against cabbage flies)
- removing weeds regularly
- Fertilizing with primarily organic vegetable fertilizer
Propagate kale yourself or buy plants
Kale is a biennial herb. If you want to multiply kale yourself, you have to be patient. If kale is not harvested in winter, it will produce flowers in the coming summer (June) followed by elongated black pods. The pods contain seeds that are returned for sowing on their ownGarden can be used.
Alternatively, you can buy pre-germinated plants or seeds from a specialist retailer. If you first want to test a few varieties of kale in cultivation in order to find the optimal variety for you, you should buy different varieties from the dealer and just try them out!
Kale varieties: A small selection of old and tasty varieties
There are numerous varieties of kale that differ greatly in taste, colour, hardiness and nutritional values. We have put together some well-known and exotic varieties for you and described them in more detail.
- Semi-tall green Krauser: moderate growth with finely curled foliage; very hardy.
- Lerchenzungen: traditional variety; short stature, small leaves with a finely curled leaf edge; unfortunately only rarely to be found on markets; extremely hardy.
- East Frisian palm: fast-growing variety; lower stem foliage for animal feed; upper foliage fine and flavorful (use in cooking).
- Holter Palm: coarsely curled foliage; growing very fast.
- Vitessa: high sugar content, therefore earlier harvest possible; not very hardy; more delicate foliage; milder taste.
For more information and even more tasty varieties of kale, just have a look at our kale varieties article.
Harvesting kale: procedure and timing
The kale is a typical winter vegetable. Although early varieties can be harvested as early as October, later harvest times are more typical. All you need to harvest kale is a sharp knife. Cut off the leaves at the base for the greatest yield. After harvesting all the leaves, remove the stalk and roots from the soil. In this way you can prevent soil-borne diseases such as clubroot and do not offer pests any breeding grounds for the winter.
Storing and preserving kale
There are several ways to preserve kale over time. Below we have summarized some methods for storing kale.
Freezing Kale
Kale is usually harvested in freezing temperatures. It is even said that the full flavor only unfolds after a heavy winter frost. Freezing is the best way to make kale last longer. For this one separates the frizzy leaf wreaths from theStems, chop to any size and blanch in boiling s alted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Then rinse the kale with cold water and drain well. Prepared in this way, the kale can be stored deep-frozen for at least a year.
Dry kale: make kale chips yourself
Another way to preserve kale is to dehydrate it. To do this, separate the leaf wreaths from the stalk and cut them into bite-sized pieces. If desired, the kale can be refined with a little oil and spices. Mix the whole thing well and then let it dry in the oven at 40 to 50 °C for several hours until you get crispy kale chips. There are special drying ovens, but a standard oven should also be sufficient.
Preserving Kale
Boiling kale is another method of preserving it. The kale itself is first boiled after it has been cut up and washed. The resulting water should be poured off, as it can taste very bitter. After boiling, fill the kale in dense layers in mason jars and pour s alted water over them. The sealed jars should be "boiled" again for 20 to 30 minutes at at least 80 °C.
Note: Boiling the kale cannot prevent the loss of most of the vitamins and nutrients.
Don't have space in your garden to grow kale? Then we have some helpful tips for growing kale in pots on the terrace and balcony for you.