{"id":2869,"date":"2020-04-13T03:07:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T03:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2869"},"modified":"2020-04-13T03:07:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T03:07:12","slug":"kale-scotch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/13\/kale-scotch\/","title":{"rendered":"Kale, Scotch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brassica oleracea <\/em>var acephala<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: This cool season biennial is the most\nprimitive of the cabbage family crops and isn\u2019t far removed from the wild Brassica\noleracea<\/em>. It is not very common on dinner tables in this country, which is\nunfortunate as it is one of the most nutritious vegetables. It hasn\u2019t always\nbeen so neglected though; it was once one of the most widely used green\nvegetables in Northern Europe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Americans think of kale as an attractive curly garnish (it is\noften used in restaurants as a cheap substitute for parsley), which isn\u2019t\nintended to be eaten. This is a shame because well-grown kale, harvested in\ncold weather, is very good. At the same time I should add that poorly grown\nkale, harvested in warm summer weather, can be tough and almost inedible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Kale is a highly nutritious plant, being rich in vitamins A, C\nand K, chlorophyll and many important phytochemicals (including isothiocyanates,\nsulfuraphane, lutein and zeaxanthin). It is said to contain even more\nantioxidants than other Brassicas (which are all a good source of them). They also contain almost 200 calories per\npound, which is more than any other common leafy green vegetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Kale<\/strong>  <\/strong>
Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 40 (45 – 95) 95\u00b0F
Germination time: 4 – 9 days
15 days \/ 50\u00b0F
9 days \/ 59\u00b0F
6 days \/ 68\u00b0F
5 days \/ 77\u00b0F * Optimum
4 days \/ 86\u00b0F
Seed viability: 4 – 6 years
Germination percentage: 75+
Weeks to grow transplants 5 – 6  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Very hardy
Growing temp: 40 (60 – 65) 75\u00b0F
Plants per person: 10
Plants per sq ft: to 1
Height: 18 – 36\u02dd
Spread: 18 – 36\u02dd  

Planting<\/strong>:
Start: 6 weeks before last frost
Plant out: 2 weeks before last frost
Direct sow:
Spring: 4 \u2013 6 weeks before last frost
Fall: 2 weeks before first frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest:     
50 – 70 days from transplant     
80 – 100 days from seed
Harvest period: 16 – 26 weeks
Yield per plant: 1 – 2 lb   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Kale is a cool season plant and really comes into its own in the\ndepth of winter, when other crops die off. It can survive temperatures as low\nas 0\u00b0F and will continue to produce food when most other crops are just frozen\nsticks. It can even be gathered from under the snow when frozen solid (though\nof course it won\u2019t be growing then). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale doesn\u2019t just tolerate cold temperatures and frost, the flavor of the leaves is actually improved by it (they become sweeter and more tender). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale grows quite well in warm weather, but at temperatures much\nabove 75\u00b0F, the flavor deteriorates and it can become tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: Kale isn\u2019t far removed from a wild plant\nand shows it by being pretty easy to grow. It is even easier in cold weather, when\nit leaves most of its potential pests and diseases behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop\nvalue<\/strong>: Kale was a staple\nwinter food for many Northern European peasants (Scottish vegetable gardens\nwere commonly known as kale-yards). It is very nutritious and was especially\nimportant as it produced during late winter and early spring, when it was one\nof the few fresh foods available (one cultivar was actually known as Hungry Gap\nfor this reason). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit of kale is that it can be harvested repeatedly,\noften sending out new leaves for 6 months or more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 – 7.5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale is more tolerant of poor soil than other Brassicas, but the\nmost palatable leaves are produced by rapid uninterrupted growth. For this the\nsoil must be rich, well-drained and moisture retentive with lots of organic\nmatter. Of course with a winter crop, drainage is usually more of a concern\nthan water retention. If the soil is too wet in winter the roots may rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Kale likes\norganic matter, so amend the soil by digging in 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure.\nIt also likes a neutral pH, so add lime to raise the pH if necessary. Its\nnutritional requirements are similar to those of cabbage, in that it needs a\nsignificant amount of phosphorus and potassium, but not a lot of nitrogen. If\nyour soil isn\u2019t very fertile you may also want to add some fertilizer mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Winter kale will be growing in the coldest part of the year, so\nshould be planted in the warmest, sunniest, most sheltered part of the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale is one of the most shade tolerant garden vegetables, though\nit won\u2019t be quite as productive as when in full sun. In warmer weather it is\nusually happier in light shade. If this is from a deciduous tree, it will\nmostly disappear in winter, which is ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Crop rotation<\/strong>: Kale should not be planted where another Brassica has grown in\nthe past 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: Kale can be planted in spring for harvesting in early summer. It\nis started indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date and planted out 2 weeks\nbefore the last frost date. If you plant too early the plants can be vernalized\nand may bolt soon after planting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale will actually grow right through the summer, but doesn\u2019t\ntaste very good in warm weather. It really needs cool weather to make it tender and sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: As I already mentioned kale is most useful as a fall crop,\nplanted in mid-summer, at least 2 – 3 months before the first fall frost date.\nThe plants need to be fairly big by the time of the first frost, so they are\nvigorous enough to keep growing. In mild climates it will continue to grow all\nwinter without disruption and can be harvested continually for months (it will\nalso be in peak condition\nin the cool weather).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a good idea to plant your autumn kale as an intercrop\nbetween an existing summer crop. It will gradually take over the space as the\nweather gets cooler and the summer\ncrop fades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late kale can succeed a mid-season crop such as potatoes or beans.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter<\/strong>: Your fall kale crop will gradually become your winter kale crop,\nespecially in milder areas. If you want to use kale as a staple winter crop you\nshould probably grow quite a lot of it. It grows slowly in winter, so you want\nto have quite a few plants to harvest from (so you don\u2019t stress any one plant\ntoo much).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: The easiest way to grow kale is to sow it directly into the\ngarden. The seed germinates easily and grows quickly, even in fairly cool soil.\nPlant the seeds \u00bc – \u00bd\u02dd deep and 2\u02dd apart. Start harvest thinning when all the\nseedlings have emerged and\nare of sufficient size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: Kale is often started indoors to get an earlier crop in spring.\nIt will germinate and grow much faster in warmer conditions, enabling you to\nplant out a thriving seedling, rather than a seed. Transplants may also be used\nwhere insects or other pests are a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale\ndoesn\u2019t mind transplanting so can be started in flats, as well as cell packs\nand soil blocks. Plant the seed 1\u02dd apart in a flat and when the seedlings are\nbig enough prick out into another flat, leaving 2\u02dd between the plants. The\nplants are ready to go outside when they have 3 – 5 true leaves, a stem\ndiameter of about \u215b\u02dd and are 3 – 5\u02dd tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardening off<\/strong>: If transplants are to go outside while it is still cold, they should be hardened off first. They will then tolerate temperatures as low as 25\u02daF. You do this by putting the plants outside for 2 hours on the first day, then 4 hours on the second day. Add 2 hours every day for a week and then plant out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simpler\nalternative is to put them in a cold frame, which is opened for longer periods\neach day and closed at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting out<\/strong>: Transplant the seedlings slightly deeper than they grew in the\nflats, up to the depth of their first true leaves. Water well after planting\n(of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protection<\/strong>: Early growth is often slow in cool weather. You might want to\nuse cloches to keep the plants warmer and so speed this up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bolting<\/strong>: In spring a potential problem with using transplants may occur\nif you are too successful and grow big healthy transplants. If these are then\nexposed to cold weather they may be vernalized, which will cause them to bolt.\nTo avoid this your transplants should have stems no thicker than \u215b\u02dd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting transplants outside<\/strong>: In terms of bed space, a kale seed takes up as much space as an\n8 week old transplant, so direct sowing isn\u2019t very space efficient. You can use\nbed space more efficiently by sowing your fall kale in an outdoor nursery bed\n(this only works in warm weather of course). Leave them there until they are of\ntransplant size and then plant them out at their full spacing in early fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: Kale plants can get quite big, so give them plenty of room:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

12\u02dd apart in excellent soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15\u02dd apart in good soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18\u02dd apart in poor soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: If you want to plant in rows, space them 18 – 24\u02dd apart, with\n12\u02dd between the plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: Kale is pretty independent once established, so you only really\nneed worry about weeds while it is young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering<\/strong>: Kale has large leaves and can lose a lot of water in warm\nweather (another reason not to grow it then). It is actually moderately drought\ntolerant, but for the best quality (texture and flavor) you must keep it well\nsupplied with water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: If the soil isn\u2019t very fertile, feed the\nplants with compost tea or liquid kelp. Start feeding them as soon as they have\nrecovered from transplanting and every month thereafter. This is especially\nimportant if you are going to be harvesting for weeks on end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulching<\/strong>: Use a mulch in summer to keep down weeds, keep the soil cool and\nconserve soil moisture. In winter a mulch can help to protect the roots by\nmoderating soil temperature and preventing frost heaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests and diseases<\/strong>: Kale is less vulnerable to pests than other Brassicas (even to\nclubroot), but it still has its share, especially in warm weather (aphids are\nthe commonest). See Cabbage<\/strong> for more\non these pests and how to deal with\nthem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds<\/strong> In my garden quail have a particular affection for Brassicas such\nas kale and they may strip whole leaves from the plants. In my last garden they\ngot so bad in winter that I had to net the 4 ft tall plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Kale produces an abundance of foliage right through the growing season, but it is at its best during cold weather. This is because cold weather stimulates the conversion of starches in the leaves into sugars (a similar thing happens in Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips). A few nights of freezing temperatures are enough to make this happen. The cold also makes the leaves more tender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can gather kale leaves for as long as they are produced,\nsometimes right through the winter. In extreme cold you might cover them with\nmulch for extra protection. Even the frozen leaves can be eaten and are\nactually very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new shoots, produced when the plant first starts growing again\nin spring, are also good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When kale bolts in spring, the flower buds can (and should) be\ngathered and used like broccoli. They are a nutritious and tasty treat, that is not to be missed. If they are infested with aphids, blast them off with a jet of\nwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: For a longer and bigger harvest it is best to gather single\nleaves as they get large enough. Don\u2019t take them from the growing point and\nonly take 1 or 2 leaves from a plant at one time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be able to stimulate an old plant to put out tender new\ngrowth, by stripping\noff all of its leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Plants over-wintered in the ground will flower the following\nspring. Kale will cross-pollinate with any other Brassica crop (broccoli,\nBrussels sprout, cabbage, collards), so only one variety can be flowering at\none time. Save the seed in the same way as you would cabbage<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants will produce an abundance of seed. In fact they\nsometimes get so top heavy with seed they need staking to stop them falling over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you save kale seed you will end up with a lot, especially as\nyou should save the seed from at least 5 plants to maintain some genetic\nvariability. This is far more than you will ever need for planting. You can\nsprout most of it like alfalfa, or use it to grow micro-greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter indoors<\/strong>: In very cold areas kale can be grown in winter in an unheated\ngreenhouse or cold frame. It has even been grown indoors as a winter houseplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental use<\/strong>: Some kales have very attractive foliage and can be used in the\nflower garden. The specially bred ornamental kales are edible too and can be quite good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Container growing<\/strong>: Kale does well in containers, so long as it has enough room, good soil and plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing as a perennial: <\/strong>You can get some of the hardier kale varieties to survive for\nseveral years, by not allowing them to flower and set seed. You can propagate\nthem by taking green stem cuttings in summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cover crop<\/strong>: Kale is sometimes planted as a green manure or winter cover\ncrop. In areas with mild winters it will produce a lot of foliage over the\nwinter and has the additional benefit that it is edible. In spring you can eat\nthe tender new flower shoots, before incorporating the rest of the plants into\nthe soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drawback to using kale as a cover crop is that it is a member\nof the Brassica family and so prone to all of the same pests and diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several different types of kale:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curly\nkale<\/strong>: This is the commonest and most familiar type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwarf\nblue curled <\/strong>– Frilly\nblue leaves (55 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redbor\nF1 <\/strong>– Frilly\npurple leaves (50 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plain kale<\/strong>: These have smooth flat leaves and include the hardiest and most trouble free varieties. They are getting to be hard to find though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual\nkales <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lacinato<\/strong> – This Italian variety is known in Italy as Cavolo Nero or black\ncabbage. It is more tender and delicately flavored than most types. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousand\nheaded kale<\/strong>: This very hardy variety\nproduces more than one growing point, hence its name. It can be persuaded to\ngrow as a perennial in some areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental Kale<\/strong>: This multi-colored and quite spectacular plant is commonly used to add fall color to gardens. Though not considered as tender or tasty as other types, it can sometimes be surprisingly good (it depends on the variety and growing conditions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cool weather the tender young leaves are good enough to eat raw. Older leaves can be steamed, stir-fried, used in soups or dried for chips. They are quite substantial and don\u2019t shrink down nearly as much as some other greens, so you don\u2019t need to gather as much. If the main leaf stem is tough, it is easily removed by folding the leaf in half and slicing it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kale chips<\/strong>
These are a genuinely nutritious snack that tastes so good they encouraged me to grow Scotch kale again. They can also be made with collards, They are pretty simple to make, you just sprinkle the leaves with sea salt and dry them.

The simplest (and most nutritious) way to dry the leaves is in a dehydrator at 110\u00b0F until dry (usually overnight). Put the dried leaves \/ chips in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and nutritional yeast.

If you don\u2019t have a dehydrator you can do it in an oven by using the lowest temperature and turning it off occasionally.   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brassica oleracea var acephala Introduction: This cool season biennial is the most primitive of the cabbage family crops and isn\u2019t far removed from the wild Brassica oleracea. It is not … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kale-scotch-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2869"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2876,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869\/revisions\/2876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}