Yield from a Kale plant

[cazp]

Love kale but never grown it before. I have Kale Reflux F1 seeds here... how much will one plant yield and for how long?

[veggiechicken]

For me, 6 plants, Toscana di Nero - nothing! Leaves totally stripped by dratted caterpillars. Be warned - take precautions!

[solway cropper]

I grow dwarf green curled and get a couple of meals per plant but they are quite small. As VC says, you need to net any brassica plants if you want to eat them before the caterpillars do.

[binley100]

But kale will sprout again ........Cottagers kale is good.......It puts out loads of side branches and the leaves are flat (easy to scrub the whitefly off) it does grow pretty big tho' ........

[donnakebab]

Can't remember which variety I grew last year but it was prolific. Depends how often you want to eat it and how many members of family. Protect as other greens but be prepared for white fly too. Pick young leaves.

With white fly I soak in slightly salted water after picking. Give it a good robust shake in the water drain and cook. A few white flies aint gonna hurt. My cats kiss me regularly and I'm not dead yet. Bless em.

[veggiechicken]

But kale will sprout again ........Cottagers kale is good.......It puts out loads of side branches and the leaves are flat (easy to scrub the whitefly off) it does grow pretty big tho' ........

Yours might have sprouted again - there was little left of mine to sprout.
Is Cottagers kale a perennial one? I'm trying to find a perennial kale and cabbage. (Want to keep the caterpillars well fed all year round)

[Snadger]

Yours might have sprouted again - there was little left of mine to sprout.
Is Cottagers kale a perennial one? I'm trying to find a perennial kale and cabbage. (Want to keep the caterpillars well fed all year round)

Only short lived perennial kale I know of is Channel island or Walking Stick kale. I usually get a couple of years out of it but could get three if I cosseted it a bit more I reckon?
It does grow tall though (I've had it about 7 foot tall over two years with a 3" trunk) and I reckon a three year old plant will grow 10 foot or more with a 'trunk' about 4 or five inches diameter!

They are virtually impossible to net though and the pigeons sit on top of them and peck away at the foliage.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Snadger. I like the thought of an enchanted Kale forest, to wander through. with birds roosting in the kale tops. Have you tried growing beans up the trunks (of the kale, not yours)?

[Two_Sheds]

I've got a lot of black kale this year (Cavolo Nero) and it's fab. Keeps going even in the snow and ice. I get up there and pick once a week (6 plants), that's enough for me.

Whitefly: this worked

Pigeons/Caterpillars: this worked

[Snadger]

Thanks Snadger. I like the thought of an enchanted Kale forest, to wander through. with birds roosting in the kale tops. Have you tried growing beans up the trunks (of the kale, not yours)?

No I haven't............. but it sounds like a good idea for the second years growth!

I am going to try 'thousand head' kale again this year. It did well for me a couple of years ago and is also handy for chook greens.

[BarleySugar]

Cavolo Nero and a red curly kale are the ones I'm growing this year. White fly on the cavolo nero and aphids on the curly kale, so although I kept the caterpillars off, I do have to wash very carefully. I've got 15 plants altogether, but they were late in so are quite small. I also pick once a week, probably enough for 2 meals for me, (sometimes I share with OH, but as he isn't that keen, and I am...). As soon as I get back from the plot I wash it and put it in the fridge. That way, when I want to use it, a quick rinse, and it's done.
The last pick of my cavolo nero were the flowering shoots, I'm hoping picking them off will extend the season a bit (together with this cold snap).