Have you ever bought a bunch of kale, taken a bite and thought, “Why does anyone eat this?” You're not alone. Grocery store kale is often thick, tough and bitter, because it's grown to survive shipping, not to taste great. Homegrown kale is a whole different vegetable. In this guide, you'll meet three heirloom kales worth growing, plus how to grow them for the sweetest, most tender leaves.
Why does homegrown kale taste better?
A few things make a big difference:
- Variety: You can grow tender types that would bruise or wilt on a truck.
- Freshness: Leaves picked minutes before dinner are crisp and sweet. Store kale may be a week or more off the plant.
- Cold weather: Kale converts some of its starches to sugars when temperatures drop, so leaves picked after a few frosty nights taste noticeably sweeter.
- Harvest size: You can pick young, tender leaves instead of big, mature ones.
I love making salads with freshly harvested greens, and young kale leaves picked in fall are some of my favorites.
Three heirloom kales worth growing
- Red Russian (about 50 to 60 days; baby leaves in about 25 to 30): flat, oak-shaped leaves with purple stems and veins. It's tender and mild enough to eat raw, which makes it the best choice for salads.
- Premier (about 50 to 60 days): also called Early Hanover. Smooth, flat leaves with very little bitterness and no curly crevices for dirt or bugs to hide in. It's quick, productive and great for sautes and smoothies.
- Vates Blue Curled Scotch (about 55 to 65 days): the classic curly kale, but compact and very cold hardy. Its frilly leaves hold oil and seasoning, so it makes the best kale chips.
When should you plant kale?
Kale is a cool-season crop that handles frost very well. You have two main windows:
- Spring: Sow outdoors about 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, or start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before and transplant out.
- Fall: Sow about 10 to 12 weeks before your first fall frost. This is the crop that gives you the sweetest leaves.
Here in Minnesota, zone 5a, fall kale often keeps going into December, and plants can survive temperatures into the teens, especially with a little cover.
How to grow kale
- Sun: Give kale at least 6 hours of sun. It tolerates some afternoon shade in summer.
- Soil: Rich soil with plenty of compost. Kale is a leafy crop and appreciates nitrogen.
- Sow: Plant seeds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, then thin to 12 to 18 inches apart. Eat the thinnings as baby greens.
- Water: Keep soil evenly moist, about an inch a week. Dry soil makes leaves tough and bitter.
Keeping pests off your kale
- Cabbage worms: Those little green caterpillars come from white cabbage butterflies. Cover plants with insect netting or row cover from the start.
- Aphids: Knock them off with a strong spray of water, and plant flowers nearby to bring in the insects that eat them.
- Flea beetles: These chew tiny holes in young leaves. Row cover protects seedlings until they're big enough to shrug it off.
How to harvest kale
- Pick from the bottom up: Snap off the lower, outer leaves and leave the top rosette growing. One plant can keep producing for months.
- Go small for salads: Leaves about 3 to 4 inches long are the most tender.
- Wait for frost: For the sweetest flavor, keep picking after a few cold nights in fall.
Upgrade your greens
A few dollars of seed can keep you in fresh, tender kale from spring through late fall. Try all three and find your favorite. Every packet is non-GMO and USA grown, and I pack them myself here in Minnesota. You'll find them all in our heirloom kale seeds.
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