Kitchen Garden Forum

Anyone have experience of growing Kale as a salad plant?

I spotted a packet of seeds that suggested doing so and I'm giving them a try.

Any hints?

Hi Meliff

What variety of kale is it?

Kale and other brassicas can easily be grown as "small leaf" salad plants. Sow it fairly thickly and cut off tops or individual leaves when plants are about 3 inches high. If you leave the stalk and roots in you should get more cutting.

I've grown 'Red Russian' as a salad leaf and its excellent for this. I sow and grow in the second half of the year though in case it runs to flower.

John

Hi John,
If you grow Red Russian Kale as a salad leaf and pick when 3-4" high you can grow from early spring throughout the year as it never gets anywhere near flowering. It can also be grown in large module trays without even planting out. I found this out when I was in hospital for a couple of weeks and came home to find it ready for picking still in the module tray.
I rather like it also lightly steamed as well as for salad leaves. Best sown in manageable quantities often and you soon get to know how many to sow at a time. Certainly grow worthy.
JB.

Hello Johnboy
Thanks for that very useful tip. I have never had RK actually run to seed but I had just thought that it would do that if grown early in the year.
I shall dig out the seed packet and sow some today. As you say it is a good veg to grow.

John