Kale experts

[Warren Lake]

Just looking at 30 plus feet of kale that made it through the winter. Its there as I put plywood up around it so rabbits didnt eat it and leave me stems. I was still able to pick till maybe four weeks or so ago if i was careful but most lealves took a beating. Never did cover it and past suggestions here some of you have it together for the cold times. I set up some horses and bought a clear construction tarp but it had been hit hard four or five times burried in snow and frozen. Amazing some of it did survive some amount.

The question now is weather to cut off the stems at some height, what height and then they sprout from the stems or

Is it better to take it all out and start from seed again. It works both ways and past had seen a you tube with one lady where the stem was like a tree trunk and likely 3rd year at that time. I could also cut some say half and leave the stem and take out the other stuff. Leafs left on the top of the plant are a lighter green and some gone bad then some plants still have some good dark green leaves there.

Ive bought it twice from the store in the last bit and got by but used to going out and picking fresh and look forward to that again.

[Brian Deakin]

A liitle bit of a diversion Some people have the view Kale is a super food and a premium is charged for it

In the Uk it is fed to cattle
Quote

Kale has a high protein content and is usually grazed between September and March, depending on sowing time. It can be grazed by most livestock including sheep and cattle. Normally used as an out wintering forage for livestock.

I must admit it was a favorite of our pet rabbits

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have not had Kale survive the winter and be edible. I start from seed and prefer the leaves from young plants. Some folks in the midwest do not eat Kale because they think it tastes like animal feed. We have a short cool season with hot summers. Kale tolerates the heat better than lettuce and spinach. Ours starts to get tough and bitter around July. Sometimes I do a fall planting. A hard, early frost killed our great big kale last fall and it became very stinky. The big stinky stalks in the compost sometimes sprout. I will pull one out and plant it for an experiment.

[Ted Calver]

I like to grow kale in spring and fall and usually pull the plants when the leaves taste bitter. This year I planted red russian kale and found the leaves much more tender and sweeter...very suitable as baby greens in salads. The plants made it through our coastal Virghinia winter and a few hard freezes and have been edible all along. They recently started to bolt and the leaves are more bitter, so when I need the space they will get pulled. Both kale and collards have beautiful flowers that attract hoards of pollinators so I leave them in place as long as I can and don't cut off the tops. I'd rather start fresh from seeds/sets.
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[roger wiegand]

I can't answer your question, but our German friend thought Americans were crazy for eating kale before it had had a chance to freeze in the field in the fall. Claimed it made it much more tender and tastier.

[Warren Lake]

Popeye at Kale and he was strong. Oh wait. Did read that spinach is a bit better.

thanks Ted for the photos and others. My guy friends some pretty tough laugh at me for the Kale. I had four types and they are all different one type I dont like and wont plant again. Also had one that was beet red and Ted did have the red russian. Heard some people rub it to soften it. I just wash it put it some water in the fridge for an hour break it off my own dressing. Flip it around chop up a granny smith apple, hulled and raw sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, an avacodo, then grate Paresean Reggiano over top then fresh ground black pepper. Thats a meal and you feel good after it and not a slug. ILl put a leaf or more into a smoothie as well and with the other stuff its a different meal.

Once on the way home from long term 2 hours each way stopped at a big grocery and the kale had ED. I looked at the pre bagged stuff not wanting it then looked at Romain. The Kale had lots of numbers filled in on that chart on the back. The romaine had next to nothing filled in. Clearly one was worth eating over the other.

People next door have a rabbit, read they are not supposed to eat too much but we give him a leaf now and then and he loves it. The usual Jan one rabbit shows up calls all his friends they strip it to stems around 10" tall and that is it,. This year it remained cause of the wall I put up around it. I can see many have totally dead leaves then some have bright green so those are toast but some have dark green still,. Defies logic really when frozen in packed snow the numbers of times it was. Covered certain it would have made it.

Ted you told me past why the raised garden. Thanks for taking the time for the photos. Did you dig down into the ground below that and how deep of good soil did you use. I have compost from one of two friends with animals and mix that with triple mix and some peat moss.

I have stuff growing in the living room, grow light borrowed from a grow op guy. Cooking through the winter and fresh herbs are there. I think it would be good for everyone to be growing stuff.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

If we get snow, and it sticks around, the cool season crops hang on longer. Lately with Global Weirding we have had a 60 degree day the same week we had a -7 degree day. This years snowfall = zero.
I salvaged a stalk from the compost and re-planted it just for fun.
Ted's lovely garden reminds me that I need to focus my interests & do a better job on fewer things.

[Ted Calver]

...
Ted you told me past why the raised garden. Thanks for taking the time for the photos. Did you dig down into the ground below that and how deep of good soil did you use....

Warren, the area of the garden has evolved over the years. Started out with a load of purchased topsoil just raked into mounds and then added to over the years with various kinds of compost, bark fines, sand, mulch, rotted straw bales etc. I'm fortunate to live just a couple of miles from a regional recycling facility that sells compost, top soil, mulch and bark fines at very reasonable prices.
When I put in the raised beds I dug down through the good soil to the top of the clay and set my raised beds on stilts on top of the clay with galvanized hardware cloth all around the bottom to keep out the moles and voles. Used PT lumber for the sides and lined the beds with pool liner/ice and water shield to keep the soil from contacting the PT lumber. Probably have 14" of good soil in each bed by now. Each year I add a top coating of Black Kow composted manure worked into the soil.
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[Warren Lake]

thanks Ted,

ill get thinking about my set up and improving it all soon.

You didnt dovetail the corners

nice work

[Warren Lake]

Decided to cut their heads off. You tubes say some are Biennial. They are all sprouting from the stems. One you tube lady cut them all back and looked like had for more than one year. Didnt show a later photo of how they came back but logic on this now it can regrow and I can start more from seed same time. Take out any that dont make sense. One you tube showed the leaves were different second year but not all. think back I dug them one year and set up an inside garden before any grow lights. It didnt work not enough light at the time. Grow op lights borrowed now stuff grows fine near the front south facing window light from both


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[Warren Lake]

all is growing fine. Can see a difference each day. Few spaces down to the end ill ad a few more. On five I left leaves rather than stripped clean and those ones are way ahead and like a small bush. Been able to pick already but will give them all some time.

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[Bradley Gray]

I grow kale and other greens in a raised bed with hoops. In late spring I cover it with screen mesh to keep out bugs.

[Warren Lake]

so far not had issues with bugs. At least the question is answered about leaving the stems or having to start from seed again. Plants are growing like crazy. Rabbits are an issue but maybe not as many as there seem to be foxes around here more than in the past.

[Warren Lake]

kale adventure still continues in the last days they have all grown flowers. right or wrong I cut them off as they were headed to be basketball players. There are tons of leaves, they are smaller but the plus more tender. At this point the question is will the leaves only get to a certain size or continue to grow to the original large size. Thats part of the reason I cropped them down. They say you eat the flowers and bees love them. After cutting them all it was clear they are sticky with pollen. Ill also plant some new just in case these dont leaf out the same as the first year. There is lots there but smaller leaves will get used up faster if they stay smaller.

[Bradley Gray]

Kale is a biennial. Plant more between the old ones. Seed or set plants.