In early spring I bought some ‘Red Russian’ kale plants from a garden center. I enjoyed the leaves in my salads for several months. As the days got longer and warmer, the plants started to wither and I yanked them out.
In early August I sowed some ‘Dwarf Blue Curled’ kale seeds in a barrel. It took awhile for the plants to get established, mostly because the chipmunks thought that the nice loose soil was a great place to stash birdseed and acorns, and they kept uprooting my baby plants.
After fortifying the barrel with chicken wire, the plants grew undisturbed for several months. The leaves are finally big enough to harvest. Kale thrives in cooler weather and actually tastes sweeter after a frost or two.
Next year I’ll start them in mid-July so I can begin harvesting leaves in mid-October.
