Growing kale

[Kea]

I hadn't tried kale before but i got some from the supermarket yesterday and everyone loved it. So now I want to grow it.

First which varieties does everyone recommend...I've found a link from Tim recommending Red Russian...is that for taste, grows well/long growing period and hardy?
My site is very exposed to wind would a dwarf variety be better?

Can you sow into modules and plant out or does it have to be grown in situ?

Is it attacked by all the same pests as cabbage etc or is it more resistant?

Sorry about so many questions. 

[Kea]

[Barnowl]

I find Dwarf Green Curled a good variety and also Cavolo Nero/Black Tuscany which is a larger plant but with a more intense flavour.

[Garjan]

Hi Kea

My favorite is Nero di Toscana. It is dark leaved and looks like a little palm tree.
It is hardy and very easy to grow. On a very windy site, you probably better stake it as the plants wil be 80-100 centimetres high.

I pick leaves from the beginning of autumn to the end of winter. Small ones I use for stir fries, larger/older ones for stews and a dutch dish: finely chopped, then mashed with potatoes, butter and a pinch of nutmeg. Yummy!

As far as I know, you can treat kale as you would cabbage: just sow it and transplant it to its final destination. In Dutch we use the same word for kale and cabbage: kool - like in your borecole, the curly cabbage.
It also suffers from the same pests: pigeons, whitefly and caterpillars. But the Whitefly is easily removed by moving the picked leaves around in a bucket of water.

Have fun.
Garjan

[Kea]

About an hour after I posted this the post arrived including my 'grow your own' Mag with a special feature on growing kale! ::)

Thanks Barnowl and Garjan.

Garjan, I'm quite familiar with the dish you describe as my ex-in-laws were Dutch and also it's very similar to Colcannon...in fact pretty much identical.

[Garjan]

Is Colcannon with cabbage/kale? Obviously I've got my recipes confused. ::)
Then what is the dish with leek and mashed potatoes?

[Kea]

Yes
Don't know what the leek and potato one is called.

People do put other stuff in with the kale/cabbage and mash potato e.g. Bacon...but the Dutch add that too.

[Old bird]

My kale is just going to seed and I have tried eating the seed head of the nero de toscana and also the pale green leaves of the curly kale (which is also going to seed) and they are delicious just with a thingy of butter!

I am going to grow the russian red this year as I believe it is the best of all - so I am told!

Old Bird

;D

[thifasmom]

i grew Nero di Toscana in 2007 as bought in plants and was very pleased with the results i harvested from those 12 plants from Aug 07 to early April 08 when we were eating its flower stalks as the plant was starting to flower. last year i grew a red curly variety that i got free when purchasing some seeds. and i was not at all impressed the yield was much less with only one harvest in the early winter then the plants just sort of expired. so this year i will be growing Nero again.

another thing if you do decide to grow one of the curly varieties don't just net against cabbage white and pigeons but go for some sort of mesh like enviromesh as the white fly is really hard to get rid of in the curly varieties.

[Kea]

I was planning to get some debris netting someone said they got some off ebay. It works out cheaper than environmesh.

[1066]

thanks for this post kea, I love the stuff but I'd forgotten to order my Kale (decided on Nero di Toscana based on all the recommendations) now sorted  ;D