A Perennial Kale

[digitS']

A Perennial Kale . . ?

Do you think there might be an advantage to growing one?

Kosmic Kale (link)

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Hmmm. It says "highly edible" but it doesn't say it tastes good. Why don't you try it and let us know how it tastes?

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i would like to know what zones or the lowest temps it will tolerate and still survive to be considered perennial. i know kale for me is biennial so i may give this a try in future years if i see it will survive and not have to be replanted each year for my area.

 

[digitS']

I don't really mind starting new kale plants each year. In fact , I have a tiny kale volunteer outside the greenhouse door!

This will be my first over-wintered kale plant since the one that was stuffed in with the raspberries, so that I could get some seeds last year! That one was the first in nearly 40years!

What I am saying is that I don't know if harvesting 2nd year, biennial kale leaves, works okay. The only time you would miss out on regular kale might be in the spring, right?

If you can over-winter and harvest regular kale in the spring, why grow a perennial?

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

My problem with kale in the summer is that the cabbage moth butterfly and other pests really build up in great numbers. To harvest some kale I'll strip all the leaves when they get infested, feed those to the chickens, spray what's left to kill what I missed but not spray anything I'll actually eat, and harvest the first leaves fairly young before those numbers build back up. After a couple of cycles of this I just rip them out and feed them, caterpillars and all, to the chickens. I don't want to perpetuate the pests that at them. That's also why I avoid the curly leaf kale. I can fined those worms and the cocoons easier on flat-leafed kale like red Russian.

 

[digitS']

I don't want to get away from that inquiry about harvesting biennial kale in the spring but I also want to say something about killing those things, RidgeRunner.

It took me awhile but I finally got it through my head that the "biological" spinosad is not very similar to the "biological" Bt. Spinosad disrupts the bug's nervous system. Bt damages its gut.

If truly short-lived and relatively harmless to humans, I don't see why they can't both be used as alternate sprays. So far, Spinosad has done a good job for me against the cabbage worm. I ain't giving up all these Brassicas I grow without a fight, however!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've tried BT on cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, the correct BT by the way, and was really disappointed.

I have not tried Spinosad yet but because of you I've read up on it. One of my keys is withdrawal times. From what I've read Spinosad looks really good. I plan to try it this year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had some kale overwinter too this year. It's still green at the ground level. That means I'll get some kale fairly early. But it will also bolt pretty early so I've planted some more seeds for a bit later in spring.

 

[digitS']

"Persistence" must be a matter of a few sunny hours for some of these things, RidgeRunner.

There are some good reasons for spraying near sundown and this is one of them.

I don't know if that was the problem with Bt for you. I wish I could come up with some organic "magic" for aphids IN cabbage! I would bet that commercial fields use a systemic on the small plants - not much of a problem with persistence with that stuff!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Thanks for the link Steve, I noticed I had started a cart and got distracted, probably don't need those seeds now!

I think it's a pretty plant in the picture, and would be attractive in a perennial bed. If it was also tasty, or at least wholesome, that would be a bonus.
I'm actually thinking I might give it a try and see how it performs.
.....found a few other things I might "need".....but I'll need to check around. As much as I like Territorial, some of their stuff is on the spendy side.