As usual, when one gets bored or masters the ‘normal’ one should always try something knew. This is what I tend to do with the more common vegetables in my garden. In previous posts I showed you how to grow kale in your garden, how to grow kale in containers and how to grow kalettes. By now, you should have mastered those, therefore today we are moving on to how to grow curly kale.
It’s scientific name is Brassica Oleracea and it is part of the Acephala group. It can be grown both in containers and in your garden. The main difference with the more popular variety is the shape of the leaves. These leaves tend to be curly and wavy with serrate edges. Their color however is pretty similar, with most leaves being bright green, whilst others are dark purple or purple green. I love that it can be grown pretty much all year round, with the usual precautions being taken during the colder months of the year.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- curly kale leaves
- compost
- organic fertilizer
- seed starting mix
- seedling trays
- containers (optional)
It is easier to sow your seeds indoors and then transplant the seedlings after the last frost. Germination will take 1 to 3 weeks. When it’s time to transplant to your garden, find a location with well drained soil that gets full sun or half shade. Plant the seedlings in rows at least a foot apart. Work some compost into your garden bed soil, to provide nutrients to your seedlings.
Water well and regularly throughout the growing season. Fertilize as needed preferably with organic fertilizer. The plants tend to be very sensitive to hot temperatures and also keep an eye out for white butterflies which eat the leaves causing irreversible damage. When it’s time to harvest start removing the leaves from the base of the plant as you would with normal kale.
You can get more information on the Grow Plants blog, here…
You can watch the video below on Grow Curly Kale in a pot on a patio Part 1…
You can watch the video below on Keep Calm and Let’s Go Harvest Some Curly Leaf Kale…
You can watch the video below on How to Grow Kale Hydroponically…
