Growing Kale, also Borecole

Brassica oleracea sp. : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S                    
    T T T              
    P P P              

(Best months for growing Kale in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 50 - 100 cm apart
  • Harvest in 7-10 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, camomile)
  • Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chilli, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard

Your comments and tips

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for USA | for all countries
19 Sep 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Most veggies need a lot of sun - some 4hrs some 6 hrs some 8 hrs. It is the planting time that you need to get right. Like if Kale needs cool weather to grow then you don't grow it in summer.
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02 May 22, HappyEgg (United Kingdom - cool/temperate climate)
My tatsoi, cabbage and lollo rosso seeds have all failed to germinate. Planted in trays in a cloche inside a polytunnel. What am I doing wrong? Help please!
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15 Nov 22, Anonymous (United Kingdom - cool/temperate climate)
Hope you planted them the right time of the year, suitable to your climate zone. Raise them in seed raising mixture, keep damp but not soaking wet.
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08 Apr 22, Simphiwe Gcumisa (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Which provinces produce or plant kale chomoulier in South Africa?
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13 Apr 22, Anonymous (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Ring your agricultural dept.
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26 Mar 22, Frank Williams (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Eating Kale flowers I had a period where there was not much to eat out of the garden and everything was going to seed, especially the Kale. So time to get creative... what I learnt was that the Kale flower stems, before the flowers emerge, make an excellent dish. Colourful, tasty and with such a nice texture on your plate. They are also good after the flowers emerge, but the early flower stems are best. Try it, I think you'll agree...
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14 Feb 22, Ethan (Australia - temperate climate)
amazing details and much better than the other website I was on
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11 Apr 20, Daniel Saitta (USA - Zone 7b climate)
best kale, potato ,tomato ( sandwich or salad ) ,squash -summer and winter ,corn for grain mill and sweet corn.I know there are many types but which is the most common heirloom ordered . Thank you
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15 Dec 19, Sandy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am new at growing veggies. What are other veggies compatible to plant with?
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17 Dec 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
If you know which vegetable you want to grow, find its information via the Vegetables and Herbs tab. Make sure the top scroll bar is set to your climate zone and read the information below. Most plants have Compatible or Avoid lists.
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Showing 11 - 20 of 179 comments
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Harvest date is the time from seedling (from the time 2 leaves appear like Mickey mouse ears - or a blade of grass for Monocotyledons) to harvest. The reason it is not from sowing is the seed company has no idea when your seed will germinate from the time you planted it. That is to say, a seed can sit in the soil, waiting for its germination conditions to be met (temperature, light,water etc). Once the conditions are met, it germinates, and the growing conditions tend to be correct... so your seed/plant will grow as it's parent plant did. Example, I can sow seeds in fall, for spring growth. It should be noted that days to harvest is under ideal conditions...so let's say the temps fall below the growing temp range for that plant....the plant goes dormant, and starts growing again once temps are in the growing range. A drop in temps for 5 days will push your days to harvest out by 5 days (maybe more...because the plant may not kick into growing action right away - I am assuming the temp has not fallen so low it kills the plant). We had a forest fire nearby, and there were months of hazy days...clearly the plants could not grow...and this pushed the days to harvest out. I have read some agricultural papers, and rather than days to harvest they provide the number of hours of sunlight to harvest, they also define what intensity of sunlight is required to be counted as an hour of growing light. These numbers are converted to days (based on average hours of daylight etc.) In hopes of making things easier for the average gardener. Hope this info helps.

- Faith Celeste Archer

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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