How to Grow Kale
Kale At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -18°C
Plant Family
Brassicaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Biennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Kale is very cold hardy, so sow it about 4 weeks before your last spring frost, and again in midsummer for a fall crop. Sow 2 to 3 seeds 0.5 cm deep every 30 cm and cover lightly. They sprout in 5 to 10 days: keep the strongest seedling at each spot and snip off the others.
Kale is the toughest leafy green you can grow: it shrugs off frost, and a few frosty nights make the leaves sweeter. If you pick the outer leaves and leave the top, one plant keeps giving from spring until snow. Kale grows well in a pot too, so a few plants on a balcony give plenty.
When To Start
First chance to plant
45 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
30 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Kale?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Kale Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Kale Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow kale outdoors now, it handles frost
4 weeks before your last frost· every year
Pick outer kale leaves, it keeps going through frost
55 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your kale seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your kale is growing! Thin the plants so each one has room to spread its leaves.
About 30 days after you plant it
Harvest is near! Pick the lower leaves first and leave the top to keep growing.
About 50 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your kale.
About 60 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Kale's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
0.5 cm
Seeding Depth
30 cm
Plant Spacing
45 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Tower.
Method: Tower.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow kale in full sun, at least 6 hours a day, though it handles some afternoon shade in hot summers.
- 2Mix plenty of compost into the soil before planting, since kale is a hungry plant.
- 3Water deeply about once a week so the soil stays evenly moist, and lay mulch around the plants to keep the roots cool.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks to keep big new leaves coming.
- 5Cover the plants with row cover, because small white butterflies lay eggs that hatch into green caterpillars, and pick off any caterpillars you find under the leaves.
- 6Spray aphids off with a strong jet of water, and look closely in the curly leaves where they like to hide.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~60
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
90 days
When to Pick
Harvest leaves continually
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking when the leaves are about the size of your hand.
- 2Snap or cut the lowest, outer leaves at the main stem, and always leave the top bunch of leaves so the plant keeps growing.
- 3Take no more than a third of the plant at a time, and pick every week or so to keep new leaves coming.
- 4Keep picking through fall, since frost makes the leaves sweeter, and small leaves are lovely raw in salads.
- 5Store kale unwashed in a bag in the fridge for up to a week, or blanch it (dip it in boiling water for 2 minutes, then cold water) and freeze it.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Kale flowers in its second spring, so the plants must live through winter: leave them in the ground under mulch, or cover them in very cold areas. Curly and Lacinato kale cross with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi, while Red Russian crosses with rutabaga instead, so let only one of each group flower within about 800 m. Let at least 6 plants flower together, since one plant alone sets little seed, and remember that hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true. Wait until most of the thin pods are dry and tan, then cut the stalks, hang them in a dry place, and crush the pods in a bag to free the round seeds. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place for about 4 years.
Seed Production
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