Cool Kale

This bubbly Brassica is part of the cabbage family and is sometimes referred to as a leaf cabbage. Due to the amount of varieties and culinary uses, we have given kale its own category.

Types of Kale:

1. Curly and Siberian varieties are the most common in the UK with frilly leaves. These have a peppery, cabbage flavour. Dwarf Blue and Scarlet are varieties you may have heard of.

2. Lacinato kale types have broader green or green/purple leaves, usually with a large stem through the centre of the leaf. Cavolo Nero and Black Magic are common varieties.

3. Ornamental varieties are bred for their striking appearances with contrasting green, cream, purple and red leaves. Nagoya Red, Ornamental Cabbage and Peacock are visually appealing varieties.

4. Red Russian kale types have purple-red soft, serrated leaves with a sweeter flavour. Great eaten raw in salads, garnishes and side dishes.

5. Chinese kale, also called Chinese broccoli in some parts of the world, are rounded broad leaf plants. Green and white in colour, they are grown for their use in pan fried dishes.

Cavolo Nero Ornamental Kale

What do do

• Sow seeds under cover from February throughout the spring to ensure a good succession. Do the same in early autumn for a second crop.

• Kale likes a sunny spot with a neutral soil around 6-7 pH, the same as chillis and lettuces.

• Even the hardier cold climate varieties require some direct sunlight.

• The plants need at least 5-6 hours of sunlight per day to grow healthily.

• Kale prefers moist soil so provide around 2.5 - 4 cm (1 - 1.5 in) of water weekly and within this variant, use your judgement when watering.

Small space, no worries!

There are a few kales that do well in small spaces such as Dwarf Blue, Prizm and Yukok which grow to around 40 cm in height.

• Standout small variety: Prizm is quick to regrow after harvesting, making it an ideal cut and come again variety. With one of the smallest sizes across all the varieties it is well suited to any space.

Biggest cropper

Walking Stick and Tree Kale are the tallest varieties that offer an alternative to the vegetable landscape. Both can grow over 3 m high in warmer conditions. Winterbor varieties are also very heavy cropping at a more manageable 60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 ft) high.

• Standout heavy cropper: Walking Stick kale is a fun variety initially developed in the Channel Islands. It resembles both kale and a palm tree.

Cooler climates

The best performing variety overall for colder climates are the Siberian kales, which are bred specifically for that area of the world. Cavolo Nero also performs well in winter.

• Standout variety: Red Ursa offers a colour variation on the typically green winter hardy kale. It has a mild flavour and its versatility help it to pair well with salads or cooked in a stir fry.

TIP: Many kale varieties bolt when they overheat. This means the plant believes it is in trouble and goes to seed by sending out a seed pod through the main stalk. Kale is perfect in full sun in winter, spring and autumn but struggles in high summer temperatures and intense sun.