Young Kale Plants

Jade3

Would you overwinter young kale plants in the greenhouse or plant them out at this time of year.

raisingirl

What sort of kale - there are lots, including some perennial ones. And when you say young - do you mean seedlings?

Dovefromabove

You don't eat the hard stems of kale!   You strip the leaves from the mid-rib.  We had curly kale for supper last night with our Irish stew - delicious.

Curly kale needs no protection from the weather, snow or no snow.  It survives anything the British weather can throw at it (that's why it's so popular with the pigeons  - when everything else has died, the kale stands tall on the allotment).

However, Curly kale seeds should have been sown in the spring and planted out to grow on ages ago.  

punkdoc

I am willing to be corrected, but I thought kale was a "super food"

Jade3

LOL  have to smile at some of the comments. 

Hi raisinggirl, yes they are young plants not seedlings, about 3" - 4" tall at the moment, I will post picture .  (that is a small apple in the bottom right to get an idea of size.

Also there are collard greens about the same size in the picture.  I planted the seeds early September I read somewhere you can do this for spring pickings.  (actually I have picked the odd young leaf already 

I am thinking as I want to pick from them through the winter I may plant some on and put in the greenhouse, perhaps raise them a bit further before planting out.

Black Kale are the new seedling, along with collard greens.  I have grown through the winter months before in UK south but have found when the weather get very cold they tend not to produce leaf growth.

I have found mostly the a Kale plant can last up to around 2 years myself provided the slugs don't eat the young plants to a skeleton as they sometimes do 

Hi aym, 

I wouldn't be eating any crop that is exposed to exhaust day to day myself I suspect that such a crop wouldn't be good for you at all.

I do my own research on the nutritional value of foods so I am aware both kale and collard greens are very nutritious, like many other vegetables and fruits. Provided of course they are not grown in areas of high pollution or toxicity etc.

Thanks Dovefromabove - I agree you don't eat the mid rib stem of mature kale leaves, but the young leaves and stem are good enough to have in salad I think (that is the baby leaves when the plant first starts developing).  The kurly kale have been out since spring, they are looking decidedly tough, caterpillar and slug eaten now I don't think even the pidgeons would fancy them.  The young plants I am talking about are not kurly kale as explained above, they are the Nero (black tuscan).  Kale Scarlet for instance you can sow from March to August.

Thanks for replying everyone.

Just thought I may get some good ideas from the experts if I posted here 

I just did some more research RHS are recommending protect young plants from birds and frost.  So I guess the green house is a good option.

Have a great day and good weekend one and all 

Last edited: 04 November 2016 12:07:06

Jade3

Hi pundoc

Kale is very nutritious as it Collard Greens, I check this site as a comparison and breakdown on vitamin and mineral content.  (scroll down below the add)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2

Very high in vitamin A, potassium and a goof amount of vit K too.  

You can check its values when cooked as well if you wish: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-kale%20cooked000000000000000000000.html

You can of course check against the government body on food and nutrition in the country you reside.

Collard Greens also very nutritious: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-collard000000000000000000000.html

Hope this is of help to you.