Growing Kale - Benefits and Instructions

 

Benefits of Growing Kale

  • Go Organic- Kale is one of the higher risk vegetables for pesticide contamination, so grow your own!
  • Nutritional Profile - One of the most nutritionally dense foods on earth, and is considered a superfood. Large amounts of vitamin A,C and K. 
  • Use in: Soups, stews, braised, smoothies, kale chips.
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Growing Instructions 

Culture:

Sun Exposure: Full sun, but will tolerate part shade.
Soil: Soil pH of 6.0-7.0. Enrich the soil with compost or well-rotted manure. Flavour is improved if the plants grow quickly. Kale benefits from additional feedings of liquid fertilizer during the growing season.
Moisture: Although kale can survive in drought conditions for a short time, the quality of its leaves, and its taste, will suffer. Kale benefits from mulching to retain moisture and temperature levels. 
Planting: Plant as soon as the ground can be worked, very frost tolerant. Thin seedlings to 8-12 inches apart. Kale germinates easily in cool or warm soil temperatures.
Spacing:   Plant 1 kale plant per square foot of growing space using Square Foot Gardening Method.  Or plant in rows 18-30 inches apart.
Sow seeds: Sow 1⁄4-1⁄2 inches deep

 

Harvesting:

Leaves can be used at any time for salads or as garnishes. Leaves are cropped, leaving the bud to grow new leaves, or the entire plant is harvested at once. For a fall crop, wait until the plants are touched by a frost to sweeten the taste.

Storage/Preparation:

Wash and dry kale thoroughly. Place kale in a container with dry tea towels or paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Fresh kale can last 10 days to 2 weeks if stored properly in the refrigerator.  Alternatively, fresh kale can be frozen. One of the best methods is to lightly blanch the leaves and then shock them in cold water. Use your hands or a salad spinner to remove the excess moisture, and then squeeze kale into balls and freeze on a sheet pan. Place frozen kale balls in a plastic bag for storage, having them on hand for soups, stews and smoothies.

Companions:

Bush bean, beet, celery, cucumber, lettuce, onion, potato.

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