How to grow kale? Did you know that kale was used by ancient Greeks as a hangover remedy? They used to boil leafy greens and then drink it so they could sober up! Crazy, right? Well, not really. It’s backed by science that dark, leafy greens have certain nutrients such as fiber, potassium, folate. Several others which help replenish the body’s supply after a wild night out.
And, who doesn’t love kale chips? They’re really easy to make and they taste delicious! And as if that’s not enough, kale provides you with a lot of health benefits. It has antioxidants that help lower your risk of getting cancer and diabetes. It also helps control blood pressure and boost digestive health.
But, like everything else, kale should be taken in moderation. Especially for people taking beta-blockers or for those who have kidney diseases. In the meantime, here’s a simple, easy-to-understand guide on how to grow kale.
How to Grow Kale in Pots
It’s best to start kale seeds indoors so that it has time to mature before summer kicks in. Here’s a simple guide on how to grow kale in pots.
In a 12-inch wide and deep pot with drainage holes. Plant the seeds about half an inch deep into well-draining, loose, and rich soil. Keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Place your pot by a window or under full spectrum grow lights. If you don’t get enough sunlight where you live.
When the seedlings grow true leaves, it’s time to transplant them to your yard or into bigger containers if you’re just growing them indoors.
Kale grown indoors need more care than those planted outside. This is because the soil dries up much faster in containers, especially in high temperatures. To avoid this happening to your plant, check on the soil moisture regularly. Mulch would also help lock the moisture in.
It would also be helpful if you can put fertilizer on the soil twice a month since frequent watering washes away the soil’s nutrients faster.
Kale plants require about eight hours of sunlight daily, and the ideal temperature to have in growing them is somewhere around 50ºF – 65ºF (10ºC – 18ºC).
Kale Growing Stages
It is a biennial plant, which means that it completes its growth cycle in two years.
Kale plants come from seeds, which you would start growing indoors for a head start. At this stage, the optimal temperature is 70ºF (21ºC), although as long as it doesn’t go below 40ºF (4.5ºC), it should germinate well.
After a few days, they grow into seedlings. When these seedlings grow around 3-4 inches high and have at least four true leaves, it’s time to transplant them to your yard or a bigger pot. It is recommended to place them at least a foot apart from each other and have at least a foot and a half of space in between rows.
When transplanting kale, they should be placed perpendicular to the ground and deep enough so that they stand upright by themselves. The soil should not go farther than the base of the first leaves of the plant.
At this point, it would be healthy for the plant when its leaves get harvested regularly. It usually takes around two to three months for kale to be ready for harvest. Cut individual leaves off the plant, starting from the outermost layer. The plant should at least be 8 inches high for this.
Because kale produces an abundant amount of leaves during this stage, it’s best to know how to store them properly.
The leaves that you pick can be stored in your fridge for up until a week or two. Just wash the leaves and place them while they’re still lightly moist in an unsealed bag and store them in the crisper bin.
Second stage
However, that’s only the first part of the kale growing stages. The second part focuses more on the reproduction of flowers and seeds for pollination.
At this stage, leaves wouldn’t be as tender as the ones it produced on the first year, so it’s better to cook the leaves as opposed to just eating them raw.
During the second year, kale plants begin to produce flowers. And shortly after seeing flowers, you’ll also begin to see long pods developing. When these pods dry out, it means it’s ready for harvest.
When you pop the pods open, you’ll see the seeds inside which you can then use for growing kale in the next season.
While you can choose to uproot the whole plant after the first year, leaving it to produce flowers and seeds guarantees you an endless supply of kale for as long as you want it.
Kale is often treated as an annual plant, so having enough knowledge on how to grow kale as well as its growing stages allows you to determine how and until when you want your own plant to be grown.
How to Harvest Kale so it Keeps Growing
If you want to have leaves readily available at all times, here’s how to harvest kale so it keeps growing.
As mentioned above, pick the outermost leaves when harvesting kale. Make sure to leave the central bud untouched if you want your plant to keep growing more leaves. You can either use your fingers or garden shears to pick the leaves off.
When you notice yellowing or damaged leaves on your plant, remove them immediately so that they don’t also damage the other leaves.
If you keep this up, you’ll have an endless supply of kale for months!
See? That wasn’t so hard, right? Learning how to grow kale is really simple, regardless of whether you’re a gardening expert or a complete beginner.
And because you’re doing a good job in at least considering growing kale at home while you’re stuck in quarantine, you deserve a little bonus. The mention of kale chips at the start has probably made you hungry, so here’s a very easy recipe for making one on your own.
Have a bunch of kale leaves ready, depending on how much you want to make, and cut them into bite-sized pieces before washing and drying them well in a salad spinner. Then, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with some seasoning salt. Bake it in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes at 350ºF (175ºC). Take it out when the edges turn a little brown and that’s it. Enjoy!
Read my other post on urban gardening and small vegetable garden.
