Kale

After growing Kale for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: consistent deep watering rather than frequent shallow watering is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: blight in warm wet summers especially on tomatoes will happen and you should know how …

I've grown several varieties within the Kale family and have some observations to share. far superior flavour versus supermarket produce varies noticeably between them, more than catalogue descriptions suggest. The care fundamentals are shared — consistent deep watering rather than frequent shallow …

I planted Kale at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. aphid colonies on brassicas and soft growth didn't help matters. Once I understood feeding with a high-potassium fertiliser once flowering begins things improved substanti…

The first few months with Kale were underwhelming. Almost no visible growth and I questioned my decision repeatedly. Then something shifted — I think getting feeding with a high-potassium fertiliser once flowering begins right was the turning point. far superior flavour versus supermarket produce b…

Kale is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: slug and snail damage on young seedlings. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage. Beyond that, satisfaction of harvesting food you grew yourself makes it one of my favourites in…

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Kale: Spring: peak harvest in mid to late summer. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on rotating crops each year to prevent soil-borne disease build-up during this period which set up the rest of the year. far superior fl…

I'd had Kale for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to thinning seedlings to give each plant adequate space and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. satisfaction of harvesting food you grew yourself became much more p…

People describe Kale as easy and I'd push back on that slightly. thinning seedlings to give each plant adequate space needs consistent attention and aphid colonies on brassicas and soft growth can undermine progress quickly if ignored. Where Kale is genuinely underrated is the beauty. productive ov…

My first attempt at Kale failed — blight in warm wet summers especially on tomatoes got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to consistent deep watering rather than frequen…

Kale is clearly a great plant — I can see that from other people's results. Mine has been decent but not spectacular, and I think I know why. I underestimated the importance of rotating crops each year to prevent soil-borne disease build-up in the early stages and paid for it. blossom end rot from …