By planting your own greens, you also gain access to dozens of unique varieties that you can’t find anywhere else. If you’re bored with regular bland curly kale, you will be amazed by how much flavor, sweetness, and texture homegrown kale can have! You can trial as many cultivars as you’d like since there is no risk of cross-pollination in your garden.

Thankfully, this vegetable is remarkably easy to grow in your garden. The seeds are very affordable and don’t take much effort to tend. Plus, the plants are like a gift that keeps on giving. You can sow it in the spring and continuously harvest its leaves all throughout the summer, fall ,and even into the winter. This hardy rounded-leaf kale from England is a super vigorous heirloom with leaves reminiscent of collards. What makes this variety unique is how it stays tender even when it reaches a large size. ‘Madeley’ is perfect for winter greenhouse production in super cold northern climates, or outdoor winters in more moderate climates.In Scotland, kale provided such a base for a traditional diet that the word in some Scots dialects is synonymous with food. To be "off one's kail" is to feel too ill to eat. [31] The Kailyard school of Scottish writers, which included J. M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan), consisted of authors who wrote about traditional rural Scottish life ( kailyard = 'kale field'). [34] In Cuthbertson's book Autumn in Kyle and the charm of Cunninghame, he states that Kilmaurs in East Ayrshire was famous for its kale, which was an important foodstuff. A story is told in which a neighbouring village offered to pay a generous price for some kale seeds, an offer too good to turn down. The locals agreed, but a gentle roasting on a shovel over a coal fire ensured the seeds never germinated. [35] Gallery [ edit ] This variety is open-pollinated and available as a certified organic seed. It takes about 65 days to mature and can be harvested spring through winter. In zones 6 and warmer, this frost-tolerant cultivar can grow almost year-round. It has an earthy flavor that sweetens with frost. Dazzling Blue These plants can grow to be very tall and come in beautiful blue hues. Cabbage worms, cutworms, aphids, and slugs like these plants, but because of the season, the plants likely will not have the same pest problems they would if grown earlier in the year. Osaka’ Series – very fast growing and compact cabbage type with bluish-green, semi-waved leaves and a pink, red, or white center.

Flowering cabbage and kale are divided into groups based on the shape of the leaf. Cultivars with smooth leaf margins constitute the flowering cabbage group while those with divided or "fringed" leaf margins are considered flowering kale. Within the kale group there are two types: the most common are the "fringed leaved cultivars" which have finely ruffled leaf margins and a smaller number which are called "feather leaved cultivars" have leaves that are finely serrated and deeply notched. Table 1 provides a listing of the common cultivars. Cultivar selection will depend on growth habit and coloration. Within each series there is normally a white, pink, and red cultivar. Table 1.Cultivars of flowering cabbage and kale z Flowering cabbage When it comes to cream-of-the-crop baby kale mixes, it’s pretty hard to compete with this celebratory medley of a dozen or more cultivars. The balance of reds, greens, purples, and whites creates a beautiful display on your plate, plus the decadent layering of unique textures and shapes creates a lovely salad experience. Historically the breeding of the brassica oleracea species began in the Mediterranean; the Greeks and Romans used them primarily as a food source. Abundant in vitamins, brasicca is often featured as an ingredient in herbal medicines. Brassica thrive in cooler temperatures

Sowing and planting ornamental cabbage

Gray, R.; Rogers, R. (2013). The River Cafe Cookbook. Ebury Publishing. p.pt80. ISBN 978-1-4464-6035-1 . Retrieved 2 April 2017. The edible cabbage and kale species, Brassica oleracea, also includes ornamental cabbage and kale. They are the result of hybridizing . Although they are sometimes referred to as flowering cabbages, the plants’ color and ornamental appeal are actually provided by their leaves. Even though kale typically has the deepest color and curlier leaves than cabbage, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the two vegetables. The most cold-tolerant of all cultivars, the Russian or “Flat Leaf” kale category is most commonly grown as a fall crop or an overwintering green. The leaves are flatter and more open like collard greens, but with frilly serrated edges and a tender texture.

Kale". Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper. 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016 . Retrieved 16 August 2016.Plants require adequate spacing to encourage growth and prevent foliar diseases. Use 6" centers for 4" pots, 12" centers for 6" pots and 16"-18" incters for 8" mum pans. Watering The main difference is that the leaves of the more decorative cool-season garden favorite are much more bitter than those of the varieties you’d typically grow for eating.