Your Weekly Electronic Gardening Guide Practical Horticulture for Busy People.

Kale

About This Plant...

Family: Brassicaceae

Genus and species: Brassica oleracea (Acephala group)

Growing Season: spring and fall

Indoor Sowing...

Time needed to reach transplant size: 6-8 weeks

When to transplant to garden: 5 weeks before to 2 weeks after last spring frost

Outdoor Sowing...

When to sow outdoors: 4 to 6 weeks before last spring frost

Other Sowing Guidelines...

Approx. germination time: 4-14 days

Germination temp.: 45-95 degrees F.

Sowing depth: 1/2 inch

Days to maturity: 50-65 days

Transplanting Guidelines...

Spacing between plants: 18-24 inches

Spacing between rows: 24-36 inches

Growing On...

Pests: imported cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, aphids, flea beetles, cabbage root maggots

Diseases: clubroot, black rot, downy mildew, white mold

Harvest: when leaves reach a usable size; leave terminal bud at center of plant intact in order to have an ongoing harvest

Growing tips: kale can tolerate fall frosts