Crops & Breeds › Vegetable Garden
🥦 Kale
Vegetable Garden · growing reference
| Days to maturity | 50 days – 65 days, by type |
|---|---|
| Germination | 6 days |
| Direct sowing | +7 days vs transplants |
| Spacing | 12″ in the row × 24″ between rows |
| Planted as | seed |
| Expected yield | 1–2 lbs per plant |
| Water | ~1–1.5 in a week |
When to plant
In USDA zone 6, for example: Recommended planting window around Apr 1. Start seeds indoors ~5 weeks earlier.
| Spring | Fall | |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May 1 | Jul 8 |
| Zone 4 | Apr 23 | Jul 13 |
| Zone 5 | Apr 12 | Jul 26 |
| Zone 6 | Apr 1 | Aug 7 |
| Zone 7 | Mar 18 | Aug 28 |
| Zone 8 | Mar 1 | Sep 12 |
| Zone 9 | Feb 6 | Sep 27 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
Kale Types
- Siberian · 50 days · 1–2 lbs/plant — Flat, frilly-edged Red Russian types — tender, quickest, and the most cold-hardy.
- Curly · 60 days · 1–2 lbs/plant — The classic ruffled Scots kale (Winterbor, Vates) — stands all winter.
- Lacinato · 65 days · 1–2 lbs/plant — Dinosaur/Tuscan strap leaves (cavolo nero) — slower, takes summer heat best.
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