Kale Growing Guide: from seed to kitchen

How to Grow Kale

The essential guide to growing kale from seed; with notes on germination, cultivation, harvest and even kitchen uses.

Kale Types - Flavour & Kitchen Uses:

• Curly (Scotch) – frilly, sweet-peppery leaves; classic green smoothies, kale chips and sautés.
• Lacinato / Tuscan (“dinosaur”) – dark blue-green, savoyed, deeply earthy; ideal for Italian soups, pasta and raw massaged salads (young, tender leaves for salads).
• Russian / Siberian – flat, oak-leaf, purple-veined leaves; mild, tender for baby-leaf salads and quick stir-fries.

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Seeds per Gram: ≈ 250 – 300 seeds g

Germination Temperature: 8 – 30 °C soil (sprouts in 6 – 12 days)

Feed Requirements:

High nitrogen lover.

• Dig in 5 cm compost plus a balanced organic fertiliser before sowing.
• At 5 – 10 cm tall: if struggling side-dress with more compost or blood & bone.
• Mid-season: fortnightly liquid feed for lush leaves.

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Growing Notes:

Climate & Timing

• Cool-season crop; sweetest after frost.
• Spring sow: 4 – 6 weeks before last frost.
• Autumn/Winter crop: sow mid/late-summer for winter harvest. Hot weather can cause bitter, tough leaves and bolting.

Sowing & Spacing

• Direct: Sow multiple seed 5-8 mm deep, 40 – 50 cm between plants, rows 50 – 60 cm apart. Thin to strongest seedling once 4-6 true leaves established.
• Transplants: start indoors, harden off and set out at same spacing as above. Thin to one strong seedling per spot.

Water & Soil

• Keep the top 5 cm of soil evenly moist.
• Deep soak once or twice a week.
• Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• pH 6.0 – 7.5 preferred.

Care

• Remove yellowing lower leaves to boost airflow.
• Use insect netting in moth season.
• In mild climates kale can overwinter; in harsh zones protect with row cover or cold frame.

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Common Problems:

• Aphids & whitefly: hose off, apply insecticidal soap, attract ladybirds.
• Cabbage worms / loopers: cover seedlings, hand-pick, or spray Bt.
• Powdery mildew: improve spacing, avoid overhead watering, treat with sulphur.
• Bitter leaves: rapid heat, drought or over-maturity—maintain steady watering and harvest young.

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Harvesting & Storage:

• Begin picking outer leaves 50 – 70 days from sowing when 20 – 25 cm long, leaving the crown to regrow.
• Frost improves flavour.
• Store in a perforated bag in the fridge up to one week, or blanch and freeze for soups and smoothies.

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Grow kale with rich soil, steady moisture and cool weather and you’ll enjoy a continuous supply of nutrient-packed leaves from early spring right through winter’s chill.