When is curly kale ready

Jump to latest Browse All Recipes. Home Life Gardening. Step 2: Put cut leaves in bucket. Step 3: Wash freshly cut leaves. Step 4: Eat kale. Guess what, folks? You may also like…. Winter Kale Vegetable Soup. Smoked Salmon and Kale Quiche. Subscribe and receive a free e-cookbook of our Top 10 Easy Mexican Recipes! Previous Post. Next Post. Leave a Comment Cancel reply Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment.

I love hearing from you and seeing what you made! At this point, healthy plants will have upwards of ten leaves, with small ones in the center and larger ones on the outside. If you like smaller leaves, collect them earlier when they are younger. And if you prefer larger kale, wait until it sizes up. If you wait too long, however, older leaves may become discolored and eventually fall off the plant.

If this happens, just remove and discard any leaves that have gone bad and continue harvesting. After the first harvest, you can come back for more when the leaves have grown to about the size of an adult hand. Depending on your growing zone and the time of year, you can gather new greens every one to two weeks.

All varieties of this vegetable are harvested in the same way. For mature plants, grasp the stem of a mature outer leaf at the base of the main stalk and pull down and out, away from the center, until it breaks.

Repeat this process to pick all the greens you want. Make sure to leave at least five central leaves on the plant so it can continue to photosynthesize and produce new growth. If your soil is soft or your plants are newly established, you can use a knife or scissors instead of your hands. This prevents you from pulling the whole plant out of the ground or snapping the main stalk.

If you see discolored or heavily insect-eaten leaves, make sure to remove these and discard them, or add them to the compost pile. This allows the plant to put its energy into new and healthy growth. The Red Russian variety is often grown for these small leaves. Remove by using your fingers to pinch off individual leaves at the base of the stem. If you prefer, you can cut the stems with scissors or a knife. My preferred method is to grab a handful and cut them off one to two inches above the ground, using a knife.

This is a quick process that allows the plant to continue growing for future harvests. When choosing where to cut, consider the growth point. On a kale plant, this is the central portion of the plant where stems converge and new growth emerges.

To do this, cut just below where the stem connects to the larger leaves. This will leave the smaller ones intact so the plant can continue growing. From what I am gathering is that they are done? But I am not too sure what Bolting is? They have survived all winter long and their leaves grew all year long. Any advice you can provide will be helpful. Kale is a biennial 2-year plant, which means that it will produce leaves the first year, and then the next year or sometimes late the first year , it will form a flower stalk.

This stalk eventually forms flowers and then seeds; once the seeds mature, the plant dies shortly after. The act of forming that tall, central flower stalk is called bolting. Sometimes the bolting response in a plant can also be caused by other factors, such as temperature or stress.

If your kale plant is bolting, and it is the second year, then the plant will not last much after the seeds form—you may want to pull it up and start over, unless you plan to collect seed though if the kale is a hybrid, the offspring may not be similar to the parents. Once kale bolts, the leaves take on a stronger flavor, at which point harvesting usually stops.

Hope this helps! Hi , I am new to gardening and moved into a house with kale already growing. Stem is over 4' height, small and sparse kale leaves between growth spurts and has long shoots with yellow flowers on the top. If this is edible kale, the yellow flowers are a sign that the plant is bolting.

If you have not already, cut the stems that you want and save or cook them. You can cut the flowers for a vase or leave them for appearance, but as an annual, the plant is almost done.

My kale is starting to flower, am I supposed to pull the flowers off like for basil or broccoli? If you have not already, harvest any leaves that you want and save or cook them.

Pulling the flowers is not likely to halt the bolting process—a sign that it is too warm for the plant to produce leaves. You can harvest the leaves as long as the taste is appealing. After the plant bolts sends up flowers the leaves may become bitter.

I purchased a kale plant and it was growing; however, can I plant it outdoors I live in MN and will it survive the winter,or should I just toss it and purchase a plant or seeds next spring? Kale can take a light frost. In fact, kale is best in the fall after exposed to a few light frosts. You can always blanch and freeze to store over the winter.

Plant new seeds in the spring. Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Kale. By Catherine Boeckmann. When to Plant Kale Kale seeds can be started indoors or sown directly in the garden. For an early summer harvest, direct-sow seeds outdoors as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. For a fall or winter harvest, direct-sow seeds about three months before your first fall frost date.

In early spring, young kale plants can be set out in the garden 3 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date. For a fall harvest, young kale plants can be set out 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. In zones 8, 9, and 10, kale can be planted later in the fall and even into winter. Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site Kale does best in full sun, but does tolerate partial shade. The soil pH should ideally be 6. Test your pH with a kit from your local cooperative extension office or garden store Based on the soil test, amend your soil with nitrogen-rich compost or blood meal.

Soil needs to drain well and also be enriched for tender leaves. After about 2 weeks, thin the seedlings so that they are spaced 8 to 12 inches apart.

Kale likes to have plenty of space to stretch out. Space 18 to 24 inches apart. After planting, water plants well. Check out this video to learn how to grow kale:. If rain is inconsistent, provide 1 to 1. Regularly feed kale with a continuous-release plant food.

Mulch the soil again heavily after the first hard freeze in the fall; the plants may continue to produce leaves throughout the winter. Cabbageworms are a common pest. Chewed holes are the sign of the green cabbage worm.

Flea beetles Cabbage Aphids are easily solved with a spray of insecticidal soap but keep your eye out for these tiny bugs which will be clustered between the leaves. How to Harvest Kale Kale is ready to harvest when the leaves are about the size of your hand. Pick about one fistful of leaves per harvest. Start harvesting the oldest leaves firt from the lowest section of the plant. Discard any yellowed or torn leaves. Avoid picking the terminal bud found at the top center of the plant because this will help to keep the plant productive.